Israel to Face Several More Gaza Aid Attempts

From German Jews to Lebanese NGOs, Many Groups Looking to Send Aid

With Israel vowing to do “whatever it takes” to prevent future aid ships from breaking the Gaza blockade, international attention has a number of groups looking to send aid ships of their own, and the publicity from the Israeli killings on board one of the ships have, far from scaring off future aid ships, created a lot of future attempts at delivering aid.

The Turkish government, of course, is the highest profile of the attempted aid deliverers, with Prime Minister Erdogan reportedly considering going himself, along with the Turkish Navy, to make sure the aid gets through safely.

But smaller groups are trying to organize such trips as well. A pair of Lebanese NGOs are already raising funds for a trip, which will carry a large number of journalists and even a few European MPs. A small Jewish group from Germany is also planning to send a small aid ship.

These are just the groups farthest along in their efforts, and other groups across the Muslim world and indeed, the world in general, are looking to challenge the long-standing blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel’s pledges to stop them all notwithstanding, they look to have an uphill battle in contending with so many aid groups, and so much international pressure.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.