Richard Humphreys: Flotilla Plots a Course that Ignores Inequities and Terrorism of Hamas

While peace is their proclaimed goal, the activists overlook the ongoing attacks that justify the blockade, writes Richard Humphreys
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THE HUMANITARIAN impulse of the Irish people is a strong one, based on our own long centuries of subordination to a more powerful neighbour, and our years of famine and population displacement. For that reason, I readily understand the humanitarian impulse of those participating in or supporting this flotilla – those who see civilian suffering in Gaza and seek to alleviate it by any means necessary.

But I would like to set out my own view – not my party’s position, but my personal reflections – as to why we should be slow to endorse this Gaza flotilla.

One thing we Irish above all other nations should understand from our own peace process is that to resolve a conflict you must address the causes of conflict. Peace is made between enemies, not between friends, and enemies must find a way to come to the political process armed only with their convictions and their arguments. They must find a way to live in secure communities side by side with their neighbours.

It is the strong view of US president Barack Obama’s administration and of the UN secretary general that this flotilla is unhelpful to the cause of peace. I fully support their unambiguous request to call it off.

A number of international lawyers have found the blockade of Gaza to be unjustified. On the other hand, jurists who support the legality of that blockade point to the fact that thousands of rocket attacks have been launched on Israel from Gaza – hundreds in 2011 alone – and that Israel therefore has a right of self-defence under the UN charter.

To me, the crucial issue is not the legality of the blockade in the abstract. It is the political question: why do the Israelis feel obliged to put that blockade in place?

They feel obliged to have a blockade because the Hamas regime in Gaza has used munitions and rockets smuggled into Gaza to launch attacks on Israeli civilians.

The flotilla is not really about bringing aid. The Israeli government is committed to assisting the bringing of aid to Gaza by land. Some of the ships, including the Irish one, are reported to be carrying little or no aid.

So what then is the flotilla about?

This flotilla is primarily designed to break the naval blockade. Many peace activists would consider that a worthy objective. But an end to the blockade could also mean free passage of arms and ammunition into Gaza. Sadly, one of the major beneficiaries of a sudden end to the blockade could be the terrorist groups who seek to kill or injure Israeli civilians in indiscriminate rocket attacks. Either way, it is the civilian population of Gaza and Israel who suffer.

What is urgently needed is a political process between the Palestinian regime and Israel, facilitated and supported by the international community, to address the underlying causes of conflict.

Here in Ireland we should recall that the political representatives of paramilitarism were not admitted into the talks process until there was a permanent ceasefire. We should be able to understand from experience that whether we support or deplore Israel’s tactics, it is simply not realistic to expect Israel to lift all of their security measures on Gaza without likewise having a ceasefire guarantee.

A political engagement between the parties, facilitated by the international community, is the only mechanism to bring about a lasting peace. In the short term, such a process could lead to the easing – and hopefully lifting – of the blockade, an alleviation of the situation in Gaza, an end to attacks on Israeli civilians and, ultimately, a process towards the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state, at peace with Israel.

The Palestinian regime also needs to be asked hard questions about the level of human rights they are prepared to secure for their own people. Equality for women and rights for gays and lesbians do not conspicuously feature in the Sharia-style regime that Hamas has unleashed on its civilian population.

We must not be selective in our concern for rights. Those who are understandably active in the cause of protecting Gazan civilians need to ask the question as to how well the universal values of human rights are being protected by regimes both in Gaza and in the wider region. In Ireland we have just had a visit from the head of state of a country we took up arms against for many centuries. We know what it means to build relationships with our former adversaries. Building such relationships is not assisted by grandstanding, confrontational and provocative gestures such as the proposed flotilla.


Richard Humphreys SC is Labour Party councillor for Stillorgan. richardhumphreys.ie and richardhumphreys.blogspot.com

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0630/1224299791219.html

Richard Humphreys: Flotilla Plots a Course that Ignores Inequities and Terrorism of Hamas

While peace is their proclaimed goal, the activists overlook the ongoing attacks that justify the blockade, writes Richard Humphreys
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