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New Gaza Flotilla Crisis Begins for Israel

Original Article

The world is not yet paying much attention, but ships apparently departed Khorramshahr, Iran on June 12, bound for Gaza. Iran is threatening to retaliate if Americans, or, presumably, Israelis, attempt to stop them on international waters. That is likely to spark a new crisis at sea.

Lebanese ships, possibly linked to the Iran-sponsored terrorists, Hezbollah, also appear to be headed to Gaza.

Israel has announced that it is relaxing the flow of goods into Gaza, but not, of course, to the satisfaction of Hamas. That is because the real purpose of the efforts to break the blockade has nothing to do with humanitarian aid—which can get into Gaza after Israeli inspection—but to set the stage for arms shipments into Gaza and escalation of violence by Hamas against Israel. That’s what this is all about.

Strange to tell, the reality of the blockade’s purpose, and the purpose of the would-be blockade busters, has not gained much attention in the international press. The imminent arrival of the Iranian ships is still not in the news at all.

Bruce Chapman

Cofounder and Chairman of the Board of Discovery Institute
Bruce Chapman has had a long career in American politics and public policy at the city, state, national, and international levels. Elected to the Seattle City Council and as Washington State's Secretary of State, he also served in several leadership posts in the Reagan administration, including ambassador. In 1991, he founded the public policy think tank Discovery Institute, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board and director of the Chapman Center on Citizen Leadership.