BICOM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a meeting today with his inner cabinet to discuss possible strategies for handling a new set of flotilla ships that plan to sail to Gaza in the near future. The new flotilla was expected to set sail in May, but its organisers are delaying its departure and are waiting to see the outcome of Turkish parliamentary elections. The delay has led the Israeli Foreign Ministry to believe that there are strong ties between the flotilla organisers, the IHH, and the Turkish government.

The new flotilla, which is also being organised by groups from Europe and the United States, along with the Turkish IHH organisation, is meant to mark the one-year anniversary of the Mavi Marmara’s attempt to enter Gaza. During this attempt, Israeli naval commandos boarded the ship and nine IHH activists were killed. The new flotilla will is expected to include around 20 ships, including the Mavi Marmara and will set sail from a Mediterranean country, other than Turkey.

Since the Mavi Marmara incident in May, over the past 12 months Israel has been gradually relaxing its import and export restrictions on Gaza, but has maintained the naval blockade in an attempt to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. However, during this morning’s meeting, alternative policy scenarios for the second flotilla will likely be discussed. One possibility, from Foreign Ministry officials and IDF officers, is to allow the vessels to reach Gaza, but only after they pass security checks at the Ashdod port or a neutral harbor.

In related news, in two weeks the UN committee appointed by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will release its findings into last year’s flotilla.