What Next… War or Peace?

It's very easy to vent one's anger and call for war, very difficult to make cool calculated decisions and exploit the flotilla massacre politically in order to force Israel to submit to the will of the international community.

First on the diplomatic agenda should be to increase the pressure on that rogue state to end the siege of Gaza. Second on the agenda should be to end the apartheid regime in place since 1948 and force Israel to stop ignoring its non-Jewish population, treating half of them as second class undesirables and the other half as enemy combatants confined in a huge open air prison.

Turkey is now a valuable ally but if Turkey, Iran and the Arab states do not move to coordinate their actions, all that has been gained in international sympathy and all the political capital will be lost as anger abates with the passage of time. I suggest a summit between the leaders of Turkey, Syria, Iran and any other Arab state prepared to be associated with this alliance, Iraq? Jordan? Egypt? I leave that to them.

As for venue, Beirut seems to me an apt location, the only Arab capital (apart from Jerusalem) to be invaded and occupied by the Israeli Army. The holding of such a summit alone is enough to pile on the pressure on the Israeli government to either force them in to making yet another gargantuan miscalculation and kill a few more civilians which weakens them even further, or they lift the siege.

Of course the Arab nature is to always mess things up when everything seems to be going their way. Just one terrorist attack in response to Israeli piracy on the high seas and the alliance against Israel's unlawful actions is weakened.

Restraint is needed at this point. Allow enough time for a coalition of states to emerge in the region and beyond opposed to Israeli actions, such a coalition can effectively place economic sanctions, cut diplomatic ties, stir the world to action. Like South Africa under white rule, Israel could easily be isolated leaving only the United States.

Cool heads and sharp minds must prevail now more than at any other time.

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