Hamas is looking more poweful than ever, with Turkey proud to lead the Muslim community, and Netanyahu’s promise to ease the blockade. But they don’t even need, or want the blockade eased – there were plans to turn Gazan sewage into fertilizer to make the Strip into a little organic farm. Some of the tunnels to Egypt will shut down, but others will survive. Hamas is ready to continue making the little country self sufficient, even as it taxes its people.
As Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas hopes for a country and gets shut down, Hamas is whistling while they work. While much of the West is still wary, Turkey is looking to increase its clout, American investors of Palestinian origin are opening Gaza’s first mall, and Saudi sheiks are sending out management consultants to look for opportunities; land prices in Gaza city are shooting up.
Tony Blair, who organized the easing of the blockade on the part of the Quartet (the EU, UN, U.S. and Russia) says he wants to visit, but right now only talks to officials via teleconference. So Hamas remains more powerful than ever, although Gazans just want to be free.
What is Israel to do?
Turkey was once a key ally to both Israel and the U.S. Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Erdogan, Turkey is becoming a leader of the Arab League. Erdogan is at present the most popular man in the Muslim world for his vitriolic depiction of Israeli leadership. His ties with extremist Hamas are not comforting and his dinner invitations to Iranian president Ahmadinejad are even more unsettling.
This geographic crossroads in no longer a mediating presence between East and West – today Turkey is representative of the East, and an extreme East at that. The Erdogan government is becoming increasingly anti-sectarian, anti-democratic and anti-Israel. Where does this place them? Right in the forefront of Islamic Extremism.
What can be done about this? For one, the U.S. could stand in and invite Erdogan as a mediating force between Israelis and Palestinians, where the West Bank is taking pragmatic steps towards a two state solution. Diplomacy seems to be the best move to make in this global world, where isolationism foments extremism.
Meanwhile, the E.U. passed sanctions on Iran that are stronger than the U.N.’s expected restrictions. Israel is moderating their sanctions on Gaza in response to international criticism.
Here’s hoping that moderation infects the rest of the Middle East.
A new study appearing in last Thursdays’s Nature magazine, shows that Jews share many of the same genes. Duh, but really, we all have more in common than you think – especially among Ashkenazic and Sephardic groups of Jews, a genetic pool which shares about 30% European ancestry and the rest Middle Eastern. It appears that Iraqi and Iranian Jews separated from each other about 2500 years ago, probably after the fall of the first temple.
Apparently, any two Jews are about as closely related as fourth or fifth cousins, which is ten times closer than the average two people taken off of a New York street. There is speculation that Ashkenazim arrived in Europe via Italy, where they intermarried with many locals. Italy was likely the bridge between Ashkenazim and Sephardim. Language was hardly a barrier – when Ancient and medieval Jews met, they always spoke Hebrew.
In other Middle Eastern news, sanctions on Iran have been approved, which can allow Israel to breathe a sigh of relief. Turkey continues to play their eastward game, but the new sanctions show that even countries in a seat of power – Brazil and Turkey – do not have the authority vested in them to make global decisions.
After the raid that occurred on Monday, there has been wide censure of Israel. Today, Israel has begun returning activists back to their native lands. Turkey, a large player in this game, has threatened to end all diplomatic ties with Israel if all Turkish detainees are not returned by the end of the day. More than 600 will be deported over the coming days.
In the meanwhile, Egypt has opened its borders with Gaza. Turkey has also condemned the American and international reaction to the flotilla raid, saying that it was not immediate enough, and was too light. The U.S. mildly reproached Israel for the loss of life, and said that the embargo is “unsustainable.” They also said that delivery by sea of these goods is “certainly not effective,”according to Alejandro D. Wolff, a lead official. While an investigation will likely be made, the next boat intent on delivering humanitarian aid may be deployed as early as next week.
It is clear that Israel will stop the next ship, and the one after that. The only options become more violence, or a two state solution, which would appease the Arab community. Determining how, if ever that can happen is now more up to the aggressive flotilla deployers than the Israelis.
