On June 24, Congressman William Lacy Clay, Jr. of Missouri’s 1st congressional district signed an appeal to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting that she “do everything in [her] power to work with the Israeli government to ensure the safety of the U.S. citizens on board” The Audacity of Hope, a ship slated to take part in the upcoming Gaza flotilla.  For those supporters of the State of Israel who recall the last flotilla, the ramifications of Congressman Clay’s decision are no doubt troubling.  While it would be an exaggeration to say the offer of American protection is direct encouragement of the flotillas, his tacit approval and accommodation have that effect.  

Though many oppose the current political status quo vis-à-vis the Palestinians and wish to see an improvement of their condition, it ought to be made clear that is neither the goal nor the effect of these flotillas.  Rather, they are designed to create difficult, embarrassing situations for the Israeli government.  In fact, individuals onboard the flagship vessel of the last large flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, carried no aid.  Instead, participants carried knives, metal rods and wood sticks for the purpose of inciting a physical altercation with Israeli soldiers working to prevent the transfer of weapons, not humanitarian aid, to terrorist organizations operating in Gaza.  

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Were it the intention of The Audacity of Hope’s organizers to provide meaningful, material aid to the people of Gaza, and not to inflame international opinion against Israel, would they not have accepted repeated offers by Israel and third parties, such as Greece, to transfer humanitarian aid so long as it could first be searched for weapons?  

Israel’s blockade is not, as these activists claim, an illegal apartheid policy of an imperialist government intended to depress Gazans’ quality of life.  

Israel made clear that it does not wish to participate in the daily life of Gazans in 2005 when, of its own accord, it withdrew all military elements and, more painfully, all citizens from Gaza. Rather than seizing this opportunity as a path to self-determination and lasting peace, the Palestinians voiced their support for Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, in the Palestinian elections.  So, the purpose of the blockade, rooted in the 1994 San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, is to ensure that those elements within the Gaza Strip working to mentally terrorize and physically harm innocent Israelis women and children are unable to carryout their murderous designs.  In other words, its purpose is to weaken Hamas.

Many of the same people who oppose the blockade assert that Israel ought to negotiate with Hamas.  It can only be assumed that these individuals are ignorant of the organization’s policies.  Hamas’ Charter states emphatically, “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.”  So they will not negotiate, but what of compromise?  A Hamas Representative, Osma Hamdan, made their position clear on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa television in December of 2008, saying, “Our goal is to liberate all of Palestine, from the river to the sea, from Rosh Hanikra to Umm Al-Rashrash [Eilat].  We do not want a state 364 square kilometers in size…What we want is a free state, which maintains its dignity, 27,000 square kilometers in size – the size of Palestine in its entirety.”

These views have not been renounced but, instead, are continually affirmed by Hamas’ leadership.  

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Thus, opposition to flotillas is not tantamount to support for the status quo. Instead, it is support for a productive process in which the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, under Mahmoud Abbas, have the necessary latitude to negotiate from positions of security and strength.  This is why Vice President Joe Biden told PBS’ Charlie Rose that Israel “has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in.  It’s legitimate for Israel to say, ‘I don’t know what’s on that ship. These guys are dropping … 3,000 rockets on my people.’”

It is a basic principle of representative democracy that Congressman Lacy Clay’s actions are taken in the name of, on the behalf of, and according to the preferences and interests of his electorate.  The same principle compels his electorate to make clear with both their words and their wallets when they disagree with his decisions.  We cannot take for granted American support for Israel as an implicit feature of our system and ideology; it is a result of organized, deliberate efforts on the part of the American Jewish community.  As such, the Jewish people and the State of Israel cannot afford for us, as a community, to grow complacent or bashful in our support.