Washington's and The European Nations lack of interest in resolving this issue is rather baffling!
By; Jordan Times.
There are reports that several international actors are working behind the scenes to ensure an easing of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
The latest such suggestion, as reported by the British press, would see Israel escape a proper inquiry into its actions - raiding the flotilla of ships and killing nine activists in return for allowing more humanitarian goods into Gaza.
There are two problems with such an offer. First, by letting Israel off the hook and not establishing an independent inquiry into the Israeli raid, Israel will once again be allowed to escape without consequences for acting with impunity.
This is exactly the wrong message to send, not only to Israel, but to every other country.
The greatest problem with Israel is not just what it does, but that it has been allowed to flout international laws and standards for so long without consequences. The greatest advance anyone can make towards peace in this region is to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
Once such a situation is reached, progress towards a negotiated peace based on international law can finally be made. Until such a time, the world will simply allow the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to fester, with all the instability and suffering that it brings with it.
Moreover, allowing Israel to get away, once again, with flouting international law undermines even further the credibility of the West when it comes to dealing with other problems in this region.
Why that link hasn’t yet been internalised in Washington and European capitals is baffling.
Second, of course, Israel is being offered to get off the hook for no more than an easing of the blockade. That, unfortunately, means that the international community thereby legitimises the blockade. This is terribly wrong.
International bodies have, time and again, attested that the greatest humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not the lack of food, but the lack of ability for Gazans to rebuild their lives and industries. If Israel simply ends up letting more goods in - like coriander, one of the products that are apparently a threat to the security of some paranoid hard-liners - it will do little to help Gazans help themselves.
The blockade on Gaza must be lifted completely. Gazans must be able to produce, farm and create in order not only to survive but to develop. Gaza needs to be allowed to export and import, not just grow ever more dependent on the largesse of international organisations.
Only by ending the blockade on Gaza, as well as Israel’s impunity, can we begin to lay a solid foundation for progress and stability.
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