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BICOM

Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre

Analysis

BICOM Briefing: The Proposed Flotilla to Gaza

Category:

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Key points

  • The Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas, which is committed to Israel’s destruction and which uses the territory as a base from which to attack Israeli civilians.
  • Israel’s Turkel committee, of which Lord Trimble was a member, found that Israel’s maritime blockade is legal in international law, in order to prevent Hamas bringing in weapons with which to attacks Israel.
  • The primary goal of the flotilla is political and not humanitarian. The organisers intend to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade by breaching it or creating a confrontation that will embarrass Israel. The delivery of humanitarian aid is only of secondary importance. Commercial traders and international aid groups routinely transfer goods into Gaza through the border crossings in coordination with Israel.
  • Since the flotilla incident last year, Israel has relaxed its restrictions on types of goods entering Gaza through the border crossings, and Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing for people to move between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Who is involved in the flotilla and what are their aims?

  • In the last week of June, the first flotilla since the May 2010 Mavi Marmara incident is expected to sail towards Gaza.
  • The flotilla is being organised by a diverse collection of organisations, with the overall planning being conducted by the Coalition to Break the Blockade on Gaza. Plans by the Turkish Islamist IHH movement to join the flotilla aboard the Mavi Marmara, which was the boat on which nine Turkish activists were killed last year, have now been cancelled.
  • It is clear from the mission statements of the various organisations that the primary goal of the flotilla is political and not humanitarian. The organisers intend to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade by breaching it or creating a confrontation that will embarrass Israel. The delivery of humanitarian aid is only of secondary importance. International aid groups routinely transfer goods into Gaza through the border crossings in coordination with Israel.

How has the situation in Gaza changed since June last year?

  • Responding to international demands after the Mavi Marama incident, Israel announced in June 2010 that it would drop all import restrictions except for ‘dual-use’ goods that could be used for military purposes. More materials for construction were also permitted for specific projects under the auspice of international aid agencies. On 21 June the IDF announced that further materials for 1200 housing units would be allowed into Gaza.
  • Since the policy change the number of truckloads entering the Gaza Strip daily via the Kerem Shalom Crossing has increased by 92%.
  • Following the overthrow of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, on 25 May 2011, Egypt’s military government announced that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip would be opened permanently. Though so far the numbers allowed through the crossing have been limited, this development clearly has the potential to significantly increase the ability of people to enter and leave the Gaza Strip.
  • Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu recently said that the organisers of the flotilla should reconsider their plans following the opening of the Rafah crossing. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has also spoken out against the flotilla, and called on all governments to work to prevent a confrontation.

Why does Israel prevent ships reaching the Gaza coast?

  • Following the Mavi Marmara incident in May 2010, Israel set up the Turkel Committee to investigate its causes, appointing Lord Trimble as one of its international members. The committee found that Israel’s maritime blockade is legal in international law, to prevent Hamas bringing in weapons with which to attacks Israel.
  • The relative quiet that followed Operation Cast Lead in January 2009 has enabled the movement to smuggle in more weapons and upgrade its military capabilities. Despite Hamas’s reluctance to enter into a full-scale confrontation it continues, by its own involvement or through proxies, to engage in low-intensity attacks or sporadic barrages on Israeli civilians.
  • On 7 April, Hamas militants fired a Kornet laser-guided anti-tank missile over the border at an Israeli school bus, killing a schoolboy. This incident was followed by a surge in violence in which Palestinian militants from Gaza launched over 100 projectiles into Israel, including Grad Missiles into Ashkelon, Beersheba and Ashdod.
  • A recent UN report on Iran’s arms smuggling has revealed details of large-scale Iranian support for terrorist movements across the Middle East, including Hamas. One such example detailed in the report was the apprehending of the Victoria cargo ship by the Israeli Navy on 15 March this year. The vessel was intercepted whilst en-route to Alexandria, carrying over 50 tons of weapons to Hamas.
  • Hamas also continues to hold Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit captive in the Gaza Strip. June 25 will mark five years since his capture by militants in a cross border raid.

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