A new flotilla is en route to Gaza and is approaching Israel's coast. Its organizers are trying to present it as a humanitarian mission, but like its predecessors this flotilla is simply another flotilla of hatred whose dominant backers are the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
In 2008, a group hostile to Israel called Free Gaza organized crossings between Gaza and Cyprus. At the time the political leadership instructed that the sailings be allowed, even though the military warned that the trickle of voyages to Gaza would turn into an uncontrolled flood. Indeed, at the end of 2009 Israel imposed a maritime security blockade along the Gaza coast, in accordance with international law, and detained any vessel that tried to breach the blockade. Ships that attempted to violate the blockade in violation of international law were in fact stopped.
In 2010 a major flotilla was organized in Turkey, known as the Marmara flotilla, which included six ships led by the Mavi Marmara and some 700 participants. That flotilla was organized by IHH (the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood organization, the Humanitarian Relief Foundation) and Hamas, and extreme-left anti-Israel groups also joined. During the takeover of the Mavi Marmara by Shayetet 13 naval commandos, the commandos were attacked by more than 50 IHH operatives armed with axes, knives, metal rods and, apparently, firearms. The commandos responded decisively, and in the ensuing battle nine attackers were killed and several dozen were wounded.
For more than 15 years after that the phenomenon largely subsided until it recently reemerged. The current flotilla comprises about 40 mostly small vessels making their way to Gaza. The amount of humanitarian aid they carry does not add up to a single truck entering Gaza. Israel offered the flotilla organizers the option of offloading their meager humanitarian cargo at the port of Ashkelon and having it transported to Gaza under UN supervision, and the organizers, whose sole purpose is to provoke, predictably refused.
In light of developments on the international arena, in the past week Italy and Spain decided to dispatch warships to escort the vessels to their destination and assist them if necessary. Despite the understandings between the navies, this is a very grave event in which European states are supporting lawbreakers who are trying to challenge the international law that underpins Israel.
Despite the large number of vessels and the escort by foreign warships, the Israeli Navy is prepared for the mission. It will stop the rogue boats, and they will not reach their destination. There is no doubt that this is a high-risk mission and that it may result in casualties and property damage. After the operation concludes, the State of Israel should use every lawful tool at its disposal to ensure that the boats the rioters arrived in are confiscated or sunk, and that some of the rioters are tried and imprisoned for long terms despite the expected protests. The State of Israel has the right to defend itself and its sovereignty, and it must act forcefully to exercise that right.
