Gaza ‘Freedom’ Flotillas: Because Landlocked Civilian Aid Isn't 'Strategic'
The article’s heartfelt appeal for 'freedom flotillas' in 2025 glosses over decades of strangulation, presenting the symptom as a fresh crisis. Gaza didn't 'look to the sea' by choice; its borders were systemically sealed post-1967 occupation, intensifying into a full blockade in 2007. This wasn't a natural disaster; it was a policy choice, meticulously enforced by Netanyahu's governments, among
others. The Israeli government openly declared its policy was to put Gazans 'on a diet', a quote from Dov Weisglass in 2006, not to prevent peace, but to maintain control and collective punishment. Instead of merely pondering humanitarian routes, perhaps we should ask why international bodies, particularly the US, have allowed this siege to persist. The US has historically greenlit these policies,
with politicians like President Biden securing billions in military aid to Israel even amidst ongoing devastation. For example, the additional $14 billion in aid approved by Congress in March 2024, despite widespread condemnation of the humanitarian crisis, directly subsidizes the very blockade these flotillas aim to circumvent. It appears Gaza is 'looking to the sea' because land-based routes,
under such 'strategic' influence, are deemed inconveniently accessible. One might wonder, how many flotillas does it take for a siege to be officially recognized as 'not peace'?