Web Letters | The Nation

Israel's #1 responsibility is protecting its citizens

While the confrontation with the flotilla ships was a disaster, Israel would never have been put into this position if the American government with the help of the European union stopped the blockade of Gaza by making all ships headed with cargo to Gaza allowed to be searched by American, European, and even Russians vessels. Israel is not to blame that an Islamic terrorist organization that has murdered thousands of Israelis in a tidal wave of suicide bombings took over Gaza in a coup and is trying to get heavy weaponry from Iran into Gaza. The world apparently has forgotten that after Israel withdrew every single soldier and settler from Gaza what it got in return was more than 4,000 rockets raining down on its homes, hospitals, and schools. The critics have also conveniently forgotten that every aid ship that has peacefully gone with Israeli escort vessels to Israel and was allowed to be searched had 100 percent of their cargo shipped to Gaza, and this has been the case for the past two years.

The United States is busy shooting and killing pirates in Somalia who want to hijack a merchant ship on the high seas. A person would reasonably assume that the State of Israel has the right to ensure that rockets and missiles that can reach their major cities are not on board ships headed to Gaza. Would England, France, America, Germany or Russia act any differently?

As an American and a Jew I support Israel but wish the blockade and siege of Gaza would end (as does the absolute overwhelming majority of Jews in America who support Israel) and that the UN, which does nothing, would ensure no weapons are brought into Gaza by sea. As for Turkey, the country that committed genocide against 2 million Armenians is now becoming an Islamic republic and dictatorship like Iran, which is 100 percent against what's its founding father wanted. The Turks knew the ship had more than a hundred members of a Islamic terrorist organization on it and that this organization funded the flotilla. I don't think the Turks would have appreciated it if the world sent a flotilla of aid ships to the Kurds, the minority in Turkey that has seen thousands of its people massacred by the Turks. Anyone thinking this is Israeli or Jewish propaganda should speak with a Kurdish man or woman in Turkey or Kurdistan and ask them about the "benevolent" Turkish government.

The sad part of all of this is that the average citizen of Gaza is caught in the crossfire between Hamas, Iran and Israel. Obama needs to be more creative and not sit on the sidelines as he has with the BP spill. The president should act like the leader of the free world. He could make the Israelis feel more secure and end the blockade, if he would only take the lead. If he doesn't, chaos and a regional war will eventually be the result.

I believe in American exceptionalism, and apparently the president does not. There will never be peace between Israel and the Palestinians without America's heavy involvement. No other country can bring peace to a region that badly needs it more than America can. The charade of sending George Mitchell will not make this happen. Unless and until President Obama acts like a leader, the Palestinians and Israelis both will suffer and the chances will increase that a regional war far more deadly than anything the world has ever seen before will happen. He should be the leader that I and millions of others voted for. There can be a secure and safe Israel and a free and independent Palestine, but not if President Obama sits on the sidelines and continues to just go through the motions. Lead, Mr. President.