Some excellent observations on the Gaza blockade incident

[Twoller]

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columni...aspx?id=178812

Column One: Weathering the approaching storm

By CAROLINE B. GLICK

06/18/2010 16:38

Israel is endangered today as it has never been before.

....

....

THE SECOND and far more dangerous implication of Israel’s enemies’ aggressive adoption of suicide protests is that by ensuring violence will be used, they increase the chances of war.

Indeed, Iran and its allies clearly believe that suicide protests are a vehicle for initiating a fullscale war against Israel on what they view as favorable footing. According to Bahrain’s Al Wasat press service, Hussain Amir, Iran’s ambassador to Bahrain, threatened this week that, “If the [Zionist] entity dares to direct any aggressive attack [against the Iranian ships], then it is certain that [Israel] will be met by a much stronger and firm blow.”

Syrian President Bashar Assad told the BBC Wednesday that the region is moving towards war. And the Turkish government is continuing to escalate its assaults on Israel. On Thursday Turkey threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Israel if Israel does not issue a formal apology for its takeover of the Mavi Marmara and pay restitution to the families of the terrorists killed on board the ship.

Obviously the most disturbing aspect of the war threats is the specter of Turkish naval vessels attacking the Israel Navy. If Turkey – a NATO member – participates in a war against Israel, the repercussions for Israel’s relations with NATO member states, including the US, as well as the EU, are liable to be unprecedented.

While going to war against Israel would be a major gamble for Turkey, in recent years it has not shied away from high stakes challenges to its NATO allies. Indeed, one of Turkey’s ruling AKP party’s first actions upon taking power in 2003 was to deny the US military the right to invade Iraq from its territory. The deleterious impact of Turkey’s refusal to come to the aid of its NATO ally at the time has been felt by US forces in Iraq ever since.

....

The rest of the article is at the above link. It is rather long.