Netanyahu confronts the new Middle East Israel's intransigence on the flotilla killings will further isolate the country in the international community. John Esposito Last Modified: 08 Sep 2011 11:24 inShare Email Article Email Print Article Print Share article Share Send Feedback Feedback Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker Benjamin Netanyahu's unwilligness to apologise to Turkey has damaged Israel's relationship with Turkey [EPA] Can it be? Did the Turks really dare to say "No" to Bibi Netanyahu, threaten to break ties with Israel, and say it so directly and strongly? Bibi Netanyahu defiantly refused to apologise to Turkey for Israeli commando forces' May 31, 2010 raid that killed nine civilians (eight Turks and one American of Turkish descent) and wounded several dozens, mostly Turkish citizens. The Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara - a flotilla of peace activists, aid workers, writers, journalists, lawyers, members of parliaments and ordinary citizens - was bringing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's two-year blockade and siege of the Gaza Strip, which they believed was a necessary step to restart the peace process in the Middle East. Bibi not only said no to the Turkish government's demand for a formal apology, but no to the US as well. It was not a secret that both US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had strongly encouraged the Israeli government to apologise. Instead Netanyahu retreated to a mantra he has used throughout his years as prime minister: "We need not apologise." But should anyone have been surprised? One can understand the Netanyahu government's intransigence and defiance: This is perfectly reasonable given the lack of resistance from the US and the international community, who consistently avoid dealing firmly, critically and decisively with Israel. Bibi is clearly not used to being diplomatically rebuffed and held accountable. Rather, he has a track record of defying international law, and of not being held accountable for the use of excessive force, violence, punishment and repression. Witness the Israeli invasions of Gaza and Lebanon, the creation of an apartheid state, and the blockade of the democratically elected Hamas government in Gaza - aided by his US and EU partners. As in Gaza and Lebanon, so too in response to the attack on the flotilla. Even though an American citizen was among those murdered, the US silence was deafening. Was Israel's use of force justified? Despite the United Nations report's recognition of Israel's naval blockade of Gaza as legal and appropriate, it noted that the flotilla posed no immediate threat and emphasised that the decision to board and use force was excessive and unreasonable, and that Israel had failed to provide an adequate explanation or details for the killing of the nine activists. Indeed, it concluded: "No evidence has been provided to establish that any of the deceased were armed with lethal weapons." That said, Israel was advised to issue a statement of regret and "make payment for the benefit of the deceased and injured victims and their families". Need for a new narrative As Turkey's expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and downgrading of its ties with Israel signals, Israel's defiance of both friend and foe alike will have implications in the new Middle East. The Netanyahu government totally misreads and ignores the Arab Spring with its demand for respect, dignity and freedom. Many of the authoritarian allies that the West and Israel could count on are gone, or going. The new Middle East, like the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, requires a new narrative, and with it a redefining of relationships as partnerships. Turkey has become a major player in the Middle East, and a respected ally of the US and many EU countries. The loss of Turkey as a friend will further isolate Israel in the region and the international community. Israel's continued occupation and blockade policies further demonstrate Netanyahu's lack of leadership, and his lack of vision or desire to make peace with Palestinians and establish productive relations with new emerging Arab governments. Israel's fallout with Turkey, the repercussions of which are being felt across the Middle East and the Muslim world, comes just weeks before a scheduled UN Security Council vote to recognise a Palestine as a new member state. Despite Israel's intransigence in US-led Middle East negotiations and Bibi's arrogant personal style in dealing with Barack Obama, the US administration has made it clear that it will (yet again) veto any request presented to the United Nations and has lobbied its EU allies to also do so. However, the US, EU and Israel will not be able to block a UN General Assembly vote to elevate the status of the Palestinians' from nonvoting observer "entity" to that of a nonvoting observer "state". Such a vote will even more clearly symbolise Israel's marginalisation in the community of nations, and will further undermine the US' role as an honest broker in the Middle East peace process. John Esposito is a Professor of Reglion (Islamic Studies) and Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown. He is the author of several books, including Islam in Transition: Muslim Perspectives (2006, Oxford University Press) and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam (2002, Oxford University Press). The views expressed in this article are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy. Can it be? Did the Turks really dare to say "No" to Bibi Netanyahu, threaten to break ties with Israel, and say it so directly and strongly? Bibi Netanyahu defiantly refused to apologise to Turkey for the Israeli commando forces' May 31, 2010 raid that killed nine civilians (eight Turks and one American of Turkish descent) and wounded several dozens, mostly Turkish citizens. The Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, a flotilla of peace activists, aid workers, writers, journalists, lawyers, members of parliaments and ordinary citizens was bringing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's two-year blockade and siege of the Gaza Strip which they believed was a necessary step to restart the peace process in the Middle East.. Bibi not only said no to the Turkish government's demand for a formal apology but no to the US as well. It was not a secret that both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had strongly encouraged the Israeli government to apologize. Instead Netanyahu retreated to his mantra throughout his years as prime minister: "We need not apologise." But should anyone have been surprised? One can understand that Netanyahu government's intransigence and defiance is perfectly reasonable in the face of little resistance from the US and the international community who consistently avoid dealing firmly, critically and decisively with Israel? Bibi is clearly not used to being diplomatically rebuffed and held accountable. Rather he has a track record of defying international law, of not being held accountable for the use of excessive force, violence, punishment and repression: the Israeli invasions of Gaza and Lebanon, the creation of an apartheid state, the blockade of the democratically elected HAMAS government in Gaza aided by his US and EU partners. As in Gaza and Lebanon, so too in response to the attack on the flotilla, even though an American citizen was among those murdered, US silence was deafening. Was Israel's Use of Force Justified? Despite the United Nations report's recognition of Israel's naval blockade of Gaza as legal and appropriate, it noted that the flotilla posed no immediate threat and emphasised that the decision to board and use force was excessive and unreasonable, and that Israel had failed to provide an adequate explanation or details for the killing of the nine activists. Indeed it concluded, "No evidence has been provided to establish that any of the deceased were armed with lethal weapons." That said, Israel was advised to issue a statement of regret and "make payment for the benefit of the deceased and injured victims and their families." Need for a New Narrative As Turkey's expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and downgrading of its ties with Israel signals, Israel's defiance of both friend and foe alike will have new implications in the new Middle East. The Netanyahu government totally misreads and ignores the Arab Spring with its demand for respect, dignity and freedom. Gone and going are many of the authoritarian allies that the West and Israel could count on. The new Middle East, like resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, requires a new narrative and with it a redefining of relationships as partnerships. Turkey has become a major player in the Middle East and respected ally of the US and many EU countries. The loss of Turkey as a friend will further isolate Israel in the region and the international community. Israel's continued policies of occupation and blockade further demonstrate Netanyahu's lack of leadership, vision or desire to make peace with Palestinians and establish productive relations with new emerging Arab governments. Israel's fallout with Turkey, with its repercussions across the Middle East and Muslim world, comes just weeks before a scheduled UN Security Council vote to recognise a Palestinian state as a new member. Despite Israel's intransigence in US- led Middle East negotiations and Bibi's arrogant personal style in dealing with President Obama, the US administration has made it clear that it will (yet again) veto any request presented to the United Nations and has lobbied its EU allies to also do so. However, the US, EU and Israel will not be able to block a UN General Assembly vote to elevate the status of the Palestinians' from nonvoting observer "entity" to that of a nonvoting observer "state", a vote that will even more clearly symbolise Israel's marginalisation in the community of nations as well as further undermine the US role as an honest broker in the Middle East Peace Process. Source: Al Jazeera Email Article Email Print Article Print Share article Share Send Feedback Send Feedback Topics in this article People Bibi Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu Barack Obama John Esposito Hilary Clinton Country Israel United States Turkey Lebanon City Gaza Organisation European Union Netanyahu government United Nations US administration Israeli government UN General Assembly UN Security Council HAMAS Oxford University Turkish government Environmental Protection Agency Featured on Al Jazeera Let's forget 9/11 If we have any respect for history or humanity, we should remove 9/11 from our collective consciousness. Narco elite vs oligarchy: Guatemala votes Drug cartels allegedly finance political parties during an election in one of Latin America's most violent countries. The Clash of Civilizations? A look behind the headline news of airstrikes and suicide bombings at the post-9/11 war for hearts and minds. Israel will lose by 'winning' After last year's aid flotilla massacre, Israel wrongly believed it could continue operating under a 'legal umbrella'. Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions. Like Dislike 2 people liked this. Add New Comment Required: Please login below to comment. Image Showing 1-20 of 52 comments Sort by Subscribe by email Subscribe by RSS Real-time updating is enabled. (Pause) magdy 1 week ago its not only netanyahu that is isolated, its also USA congress ,land of the free home of the brave ,who they bowed down and kissed netanyahu ,s tail right at the hall of congress in front of the international world under the international world cameras. nothing fail mankind like hypocrisy. susan0120000 and 27 more liked this Adam 1 week ago in reply to magdy This guy Netanyahu is a disaster for Israel. Within his administration alone, he was decimated Israel's relationship with Turkey and Egypt; and has now pushed Turkey and Egypt together who will be signing strategic alliances next week as a result of Bibi's arrogance and flawed leadership. Also, Bibi should take notes from Erdogan and the AKP on how to manage the economy. Turkey has the 3rd fastest growing economy in the world just behind India and China. Living standards suck for most Israel's because it is so expensive to live there. robin yates and 12 more liked this Adam 6 days ago in reply to magdy As for the US Congress repetitively applauding Bibi's speech; that does not mean much. The US Congress has a 13% approval rating in my country (USA). That is the credibility of the US Congress for you ! derek h and 4 more liked this derek h 5 days ago in reply to magdy Everybody can feel israel's time is nigh. You would have to be a deluded fool not to se eit. zain2120 1 week ago Israel deserves the international isolation coming its way. They blatantly violate international laws. The settlements are illegal under international law. They want to drag the negotiations forever while they keep changing the reality on the ground by usurping more land in the territories in the West Bank and E. Jerusalem. Tell me trolls, what justification do you have for settlements on Palestinian land other than the self-proclaimed God justification? Their treatment of the Palestinians is deplorable. Extra-judicial killings, demolition of homes and uprooting families, mass incarcerations, stealing water resources, withholding payments they are obliged to allow transfer to the territories for their harvest, destruction of crops, confiscation of land, where do I stop. Using white phosphorous bombs, cluster munitions on civilians. There are war crimes here that justify prosecution. If this is not state terrorism, I don't know what is. They have never been a good ally to their friends either. Robert Gates, secretary of defense, called them an "ungrateful ally". They have been caught bombing a US naval vessel (USS Liberty), spying on the US (Jonathon Pollard, Comverse Infosys, Steve Rosen), selling American military equipment to its advisory (China). Numerous politicians and administration officials, who don't seek electable positions, have spoken out against this entangling alliance that only benefits the Israeli hawks. Numerous intellectuals, and historians have as well. Even US Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, in 1962 tried unsuccessfully to have AIPAC's parent organization to register as an agent of a foreign government. They dodged that bullet but unfortunately the other Kennedy wouldn't dodge his. They brought the evil of zionism to this world. Historians will tell you that the Jews were best treated in the Islamic world. Jews and Christians (people of the scriptures) were granted the status of protected people. Read the history of Al-Andalus under the Berbers. I would be happy to point you to documentaries on YouTube if you would like. Jews were living in the muslim world peacefully prior to the advent of Zionism and the forceful takeover of Palestinian lands. They had more security in the Muslim lands than they had under the christian empire. I concur with Gates, you ungrateful schmucks. The Israeli government has been supporting oppressive dictators in the Middle East for decades now. Mubarak is not the only one. They discreetly work with the dictators in the Gulf countries against the will of the citizens of those nations. Democracy in the ME is the biggest threat to this favorable status quo for Israel. I am happy to see a strong Turkey (militarily and economically) confront this rat. Whether you like it or not, this apartheid regime will fall, just like South Africa before it. It's a slap in the face when 2/3 of UN member states are willing to endorse a Palestinian state on the 67 borders. America having to veto this in the Security Council will be an embarrassment for America as well. It shows how one country can defy the will of the world. Now with America in a prolonged recession, and you lost your only ally in the entire ME, you are in deep sh*t. OK trolls, you may now proceed with your oft-repeated talking points. BTW, I am familiar with a lot of the websites some of you get your talking points from. Jeffrey C. Marck and 26 more liked this Eray 6 days ago in reply to zain2120 I cant agree more with Zain2120. Well said mate;) Israel is THE threat to world peace and American bias towards ALL ILLEGAL, TERRORIST Israeli activity is going to be the downfall of America as we know it. Its already begun! Adam and 6 more liked this Andres 3 days ago in reply to zain2120 do not confuse jews zionism and israel zionism is the movement for jewish people to live togeheter and in nation it is not evil. israel is a country nothign else, it can not be evil it is just a country it does not have a personality. israeli is a nationality. they have been at war since the beggining of their country so there you have that muslims have not been good to jewish people since ever. since israel existed neighbours have attacked them. but there is no point in saying who started confrontations, it would be who came first the chicken or the egg discussion all voer again. people not matther who the belive in or where they come from want peace. evrebody want peace. what israellies and neighbour ountries should know that the only way for peace is peace, not attacking prevently other countries or else. but to make peace there has to be two sides, israel is not a regime, zionism is not evil, jewish do not control th world the emdia or the banks i am not a troll and i am not taking point of some web so cut the cr*p racdula 1 week ago Why would any decent person expect Netanyahu & Co. to apologise to Turkey? The Israeli regime was founded on theft, lies and deceit and continues on its way to inevitable disaster for the Zionazis who for so long have been propped up by the Jewish lobby in the 'once long ago, good ol' US of A'. magdy and 9 more liked this jack derden 1 week ago I expect the Israeli protest movement will realise that in order to gain the economic goals they hold they will have to remove Netanyahu government from office. In fact I hope they do because Mr Netanyahu does not have the diplomatic skills to deal constructively with the new governments attempting to form around him. I was heartened to hear that protest movements had moved to Israel, hopefully once Israel and Syria remove their current leaders the new wave of peaceful change can finally bring the violence of the region to an end. Jeffrey C. Marck and 7 more liked this plisovski 6 days ago in reply to jack derden You know zero about current Israeli politics johnval 1 week ago Peace activists, aid workers, writers, journalists, lawyers, members of parliaments and ordinary citizens - so who were the ones attacking the soldiers with metal bars as was clearly shown from the ship's own cameras?!This just proves that AlJazeera will never become a real news agency but more of an incitement site blaming the world for the failed nation of the middle east...pathetic! And BTW - the Turks asked for the Palmer report but refuse to accept its findings that the blockade is legal and the IHH is just short of a terrorist organization, so I guess now, according to the logic of this site, the Palmer report was a US conspiracy..right? nikkkom and 7 more liked this accrete786 1 week ago in reply to johnval I have never attacked anyone in my life, but if I was on a ship which was being boarded at night by IDF carrying weapons and gunboats either side of the ship I am pretty sure what with the IDFs previous track record I would grab the first thing that came to hand. Survival is human nature, and when faced by a force intent on invading your space (How Ironic) humans will react and go into survival mode and that is to repel the invader. I also wonder why if you consider Al Jazeera not to be a news agency , you visit the site, read the news, and leave posts? Jan and 34 more liked this accrete786 1 week ago in reply to accrete786 Only one boat was boarded by troops sailing down a rope with guns in full view of all those on deck to see, the other boats had IDF gunboats pull aside them and then climb aboard, a much less aggressive gesture. I wonder how Gaza fishermen attack Israeli troops because they are shot and killed on a regular basis as are the farmers. Dumbkoff and 9 more liked this efbya 1 week ago in reply to accrete786 >>Only one boat was boarded by troops sailing down a rope with guns in full view of all those on deck to see, the other boats had IDF gunboats pull aside them and then climb aboard, a much less aggressive gesture. ------------------- Ha, there you go. Even this boat was asked to pull aside by the IDF gunboats. Rather than doing it, they threw all kinds of Iron rods at the gun boats and continued. That's when the commandos boarded the boat through helicopter. >>Many of the dead where shot in the back, (U.N Report) How exactly is one supposed to hit someone with a metal club if you are not facing them? ------------ He was certainly facing the victim and breaking his bones with the metal club. So the other commando(s) shot him from behind. Nobody said that it was the victim who shot him. >> Others had numerous shots fired at them, some Israeli troops had their weapons taken away from them, ---------------- Of course, they snatched the pistols from the commandos and pointed it to their head. So the other commandos might have sprayed the hostage takers with a Uzi sub-machine gun. That would explain the multiple gunshot wounds. >>if this was a mob why did they not turn the weapons on the troops? Why where the weapons handed back to troops when the situation came to an end? ----------- When the commandos put the fear of God in the aggressors, naturally they pissed in their pants and handed over the weapons. Rostislav Alexandrovich and 5 more liked this johnval 1 week ago in reply to accrete786 When you are on your way to a controversial area, being prompted and called to stop and turn around..then if you're truly a peaceful civilian you stop and obey. Like officers in border patrol - you don't mess around and if you brought yourself to that position - you obey and make sure you show no violent means. The people with the metal bars have been practicing and preparing long before they confronted the soldiers - that shows their intent. When failing to stop the vessel several times, that shows they were picking a fight and when attacking the soldiers the moment they boarded the vessel - they lost all legitimacy of being innocent and peaceful civilians. Rostislav Alexandrovich and 5 more liked this accrete786 1 week ago in reply to johnval It is only controversial to the occupiers and their supporters, to all others it is a small strip of land that has been deprived of food , water and other essentials , shelled daily, invaded, thousands killed. I do not know about you but I would not need to practice on how to swing a metal bar or stick, unlike the IDF who have been practising for numerous years on live targets. As I stated already ,defence is human nature and when you are facing a situation where troops are surrounding you and dropping onto the deck armed to the teeth you fight. Many of the dead where shot in the back, (U.N Report) How exactly is one supposed to hit someone with a metal club if you are not facing them? Others had numerous shots fired at them, some Israeli troops had their weapons taken away from them, if this was a mob why did they not turn the weapons on the troops? Why where the weapons handed back to troops when the situation came to an end? susan0120000 and 11 more liked this accrete786 1 week ago in reply to johnval Is there an echo in here? Aungsan and 7 more liked this efbya 1 week ago in reply to accrete786 Out of the six boats that comprised the flotilla, the members of only one boat attacked the commandos (as you would have). And those 5 boats reached Gaza without any incident. Going by your argument, there should have been a blood bath in all the boats. Feel free to attack Israeli commandos/soldiers, based on whatever bizarre rationalization that you have. But then don't cry in front of everyone when you get the appropriate response from them. plisovski and 3 more liked this Jan 1 week ago in reply to johnval It doesn't look like a conspiracy to me. Rather a report that is politically inspired, and aiming at cooling down both sides. But I can tell you this: if a Belgian navy ship (on pirate patrol) would board/enter a boat with Somalian pirates and leave 9 dead pirates behind... the navy ship would be called back immediately and the crew would find themselves in court for manslaughter. derek h and 1 more liked this Rostislav Alexandrovich 6 days ago in reply to Jan Really? i didn't know that self defense is a crime in Belgium nikkkom liked this 1 2 3 Next → Reactions ipetrella 3 days ago From twitter israel y la primavera arabe http://t.co/mv7Rccq Daniel Shunra 4 days ago From twitter N'hu confronts the new Middle East - John Esposito http://t.co/XCNuP3b via @ajenglish HuygheFB 4 days ago From twitter 4 more retweets from jpglutting FunGuerillaz MurattiLondon Show all RT @AJEnglish: Opinion: The #Netanyahu government misreads the #Arab Spring at its own peril, writes John Esposito http://t.co/OQPDQhV AHMED 5 days ago From twitter Top story: Netanyahu confronts the new Middle East - Opinion - Al Jazeera English http://t.co/0i9XmGJ, see more http://t.co/6oy7FeE MarinKay 5 days ago From twitter Netanyahu confronts the new Middle East - Opinion - Al Jazeera English http://t.co/zrWLVgD via @ajenglish Daniel Shunra 5 days ago From twitter Netanyahu confronts the new Middle East - John Esposito http://t.co/XCNuP3b via @ajenglish Related The Flotilla embodies the Arab Spring spirit As governments sit idly by, civilians from multiple countries challenge Israel's unjust occupation of Gaza. 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