Should Israel End the Gaza Blockade? Three Answers and Two Ironies

There are reports emerging that the Turkish Foreign minister Ahmet Davutogu, has offered to normalize relations with Israel if Israel lifted the blockade of Gaza (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkey-to-normalize-israeli-ties-if-gaza-blockade-ends-1.293757).

I should ask whether Israel’s relationship with Erdogan’s Turkey has ever been normal, but I won’t, instead.

What if Israel did lift the blockade?

Probably three interrelated developments.

1. If Israel were to allow Hamas to decide what comes into Gaza then Hamas, as it did in the past, would bring in readily available weapons, from Iran and Syria. Then they would use those weapons against Israel. Then after, say, a year of terror attacks Israel would respond with a cast-led-like war. How many will be victims? Many more Israelis and Gaza-Arabs, then the nine "peaceful activists" killed in self defense on-board the Turkish vessel.

2. If Israel again needs to suppress Hamas terror, and Hamas does what it does best –using civilians to shield their attacks. Than the international fallout and leftwing/Islamist PR campaign against Israel will make this latest tsunami of anti-Israel sentiment look like a water fountain.

3. Every time Israel comes under international condemnation it is weakened. One because it distracts the international community from the real problem, Iran and its nuclear weapons. Two, because Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Syrian, and now Erdogan can galvanize the mass hate that is so prevalent in the middle-east for their own gains. Of course their gain would be Israel’s loss...

Israel’s blockade also offers up two ironies:

1. as most Israel's and rational people know. At the end of day is Israel is sacrificing its own security, and tremendous material and political resources so as to prevent a war with HAMAS, and the terrible civilian deaths that are an inevitable consequence of war with terror. In other words Israel is being condemned as inhuman for doing the most humane thing possible, under these circumstances.

2. Turkey which is condemning Israel’s brutality, while completely excusing their role in the provocation, is again setting up Israel for another fall. Put otherwise just as Erdogan’s Turkey is to a large degree responsible for the violence and then condemn Israel for it. So too would ending the blockade of Gaza foster violence, which Erdogan’s Turkey would no-doubt condemn.