Freedom Flotilla, an aid convoy, attacked by Israeli Armed Forces

Last Updated on Saturday, 17 July 2010 14:57 Written by Mehmet Ali Anıl Monday, 31 May 2010 10:02

Though I avoid writing my personal feelings in my blog posts, for this one, this had to start a bit more personal.

Today, though I claim myself a non-nationlist and a non-believer, I got up enraged. I am sorry to put it this personal, but I thought it over lot of times and couldn't manage to put it  another way. It is very disturbing to get up early in the morning hearing about a convoy garrying aid attacked by military forces, killing civilians. To be honest, even writing a blog entry about it feels unnatural, but this I take as a necessity of being a humanist. If I have audience, let them hear these, though I must state that I am not a dependable source of information right now.

Despite of the fact that there are many little details about the incident, and I know that these details are either ingored or exaggerated depending on the source. Talking about those is the work of the people whom try to obtain an objective stance when such incident is investigated. All those I see when I open up a webpage about the attacks, is a brief explanation of what happened, and fine assurance of legitimacy for both sides, which is familiar, and expected from global news agencies. Those things are the things that will be consulted when this intervention is investigated afterwards.

So stripped out from the details, though many readers are probably have thirst for those details, I am sorry for those but can google it anyway: This night, the free Gaza movement ships a.k.a. "Freedom Flotilla" that headed towards military blockaded Gaza, loaded with aid, was intervened by Israeli Armed Forces, with 600 to 800 civilians on board. Facing resistance, İsraeli Forces responded with fire, killing 10 to 16 civilians as a result.

That's as simple and as real as it gets. 

So, this is the situation, though many will first mention that it took place in international waters, or that civilians wounded two Israeli soldiers, that the soldiers fired as soon as they landed on deck, that Israel had warned beforehand, or that wounded civilians were handcuffed. 

The point for today is that civilians died there while carrying humanitarian aid for people of Gaza. And that such action is taken towards a semi-international humanitarian organization has several clear consequences. First of all, though response towards such actions peak right after the incident and settle down pretty rapidly with the need for so called neutral commentary, the feelings of Turkish citizens towards Israeli Government which was under a veil of professionalism and "legimitate war" on "terror", has now shown its other side, triggering both religious and nationalist feelings and the need for revenge, which are deep rooted within the society already, but was targeted on other directions.

Israel and Turkey, being both military states (or warfare state, which is also in use, not being a welfare state) which both engineered strong ties between its military and people, which both have to induce nationalism and religion to its people in order not to lose its integrity, since they both have and still perform illegimite actions towards their residents and neighbors, are one of the few nations that such a conflict, when backed with emotions arose from the tendencies stated, would lead to severe consequences. When Turkey made a invasion to Northern Iraq, I saw how people watch death counts, silently found satisfacton from the ratio of casualties, in a hidden need of revenge. I don't think It was any different in Israel when it invaded Gaza Strip.

So, from now on, it doesn't seem to be the ones that want freedom in Gaza that have very bad personal feelings towards Israel as a state, but a majority of the residents of Turkey. Concerning their social structures, Israel and Turkey seem to be the worst choice, when it a major conflict comes to be the issue. This incident will motivate people to bring their fragile tendencies, like national or religous beliefs, out here, though probably in Israel it will only induce a chain of cool beurocratic movements. 

Right now, the Consulate General in Istanbul and Embassy in Ankara of Israel is subject to big demonstrations. There is a rally in Taksim square right now, and many are expecting a very bold international response, though it seems unlikely.