The UN report on last year's flotilla raid will leave Israel with a sense of vindication over its controversial Gaza policy.
The Palmer Report brings Israel long-sought vindication of its blockade of Gaza. While the report levels strategic criticisms at their military response, the key message Israel will take away is that their blockade of Gaza is valid under international law and that Israeli navy was entirely justified to intercept a vessel attempting to breach it.
This conclusion from the United Nations plucks a deep thorn from the side of Israeli foreign policy. The international community, including the US, the UK, the EU, have consistently regarded Israel's siege of Gaza as unacceptable.
Israel's air, land and sea blockade of the Palestinian enclave, in place since 2007, has contributed to soaring unemployment and poverty levels among the 1.5million population. Many UN bodies, backed by the ICRC, maintain that this siege is a form of collective punishment that contravenes international law.
While the Palmer Report's findings are undoubtedly welcome, the censure of the international community has previously had little impact on Israel's policy towards Gaza.
Following weeks of escalated tension between Israel and Gaza, during which an exchange of IDF air strikes for militant rockets threatened to escalate into full blown conflict, an Israeli official told the Telegraph that the purpose of the blockade is to prevent weapons from reaching militants within the Gaza Strip and it would remain in place regardless of the UN report's findings.
No comments:
Post a Comment