Sunday March 24, 2013

I've Been Thinking:

There has been much debate as to whether Israel should have apologized to Turkey for the 2010 raid of the flotilla en route Gaza that resulted in the deaths of nine Turks.

This is not a question of right and wrong. It was.
Now it is a question of security.

Israel was legally and morally justified in preventing the ship from reaching Gaza. They were right in boarding the ship. They were justified in protecting themselves.

So why was apologizing correct?

Because the apology is about improving Israel's safety, not about being diplomatically correct or legally right.

When there is tension between Israel and Turkey the door is open to potential threats. An apology closes that door. The United States - Turkey - Israel link is now reconnected. And the threat of fallout from Syria can be better defended.

The spillover of Islamic extremism, especially al Qaeda extremism emanating out of Syria is very real and it is very difficult to confront. Having Turkey as an ally will make Israel’s defense more effective.

Admittedly, the calculus puts aside the past and the question of who was right. But it focuses on the present and the future and that is far more important - and that is why Prime Minister Netanyahu did what he did and said what he said. He made the right move.

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