Iran’s Gaza Gambit

Two weeks after the Israeli raid on a predominantly Turkish flotilla to Gaza became an international incident, Iran has announced that it will send its own flotilla to the blockaded territory. Unlike Turkey, which had formerly been one of Israel's most important allies, Iran has always been openly hostile toward Israel. The “plight” of Palestinians has long been a useful justification for the leadership in Tehran, which seeks to provoke Israel and increase Iranian influence among Arabs. Some worry Iran could send a naval escort with the aid ships, thus raising the possibility of violence. So what can we expect to result? The talking heads of world-wide media are expressing various opinions:
The French Press Agency reports that the U.S. is worried about Iranian action, "The United States on Monday questioned the Iranian Red Crescent's decision to send aid ships to Gaza, saying Tehran's intentions toward the Palestinian territory were not 'benign.' ... The Iranian Red Crescent announced Monday it would send three ships with humanitarian aid to Gaza, in the latest bid to break the blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory by Iran's arch foe Israel."

On the other hand, Newsweek's Mark Hosenball dissents, "U.S and European officials seem surprisingly relaxed about news that Iran is sending its own seaborne challenge to Israel’s Gaza blockade. ... despite concern that the Iranians are sending the ship in a deliberate attempt to provoke the Israelis and worsen already severe tensions in the area, European and U.S. officials say Tehran actually seems to have dialed back some of its rhetoric and threats for the moment."

Does Iran really want a violent confrontation, or just attention? The Christian Science Monitor's Scott Peterson writes, "Analysts say that Iran’s reaction – including Ahmadinejad’s repeated reminders that the Islamic Republic has championed the Palestinian cause since the 1979 Islamic revolution – is designed to recapture from Turkey part of its self-declared role as the regional bastion of militant resistance that fights for the oppressed. ... If Iran were to send such a flotilla, it would likely steal the limelight back from the Turks only in the event of a similar confrontation." Iran analyst Ali Nourizadeh tells Voice of America, "I think the whole matter is just a propaganda game. Iran knows that the Israelis would not allow them to get close to Israeli territory and even the Egyptians would not welcome them, and that the Iranian parliamentarians have to obtain visas to go to Egypt and I do not think the Egyptians would welcome such a delegation. Iran lost the propaganda game to Turkey and they now just want to show that they are there."

While there may be some wisdom to be gleaned from these media men, here’s what I think: (after all, this is “The View From Here…not the view from there!) The prophet Ezekiel revealed thousands of years ago, that following Magog's (Turkey’s) leadership, we will soon see "Persia (Iran), Cush (Sudan) and Put (Libya) … all with shields and helmets" (Ezekiel 38:5). By itself, Turkey, who launched this blockade-running game, is a formidable and powerful nation, but what will Israel and the western world do when, as the Bible predicts, Turkey leads a military coalition that includes Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan and several other nations as well against Israel? The options then will be quite limited, to say the least. But with whatever option He chooses, Jesus is ultimately going to defend Israel. Hopefully, the U.S. will be on the right side of that battle. I would suggest our best response is to start praying. (1 Peter 4:7)


Sources:
Bracing for Iran Mark Hosenball, Newsweek;
Empty Rhetoric Ali Nourizadeh, Voice of America;
They Want Conflict Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor ;
Not So Benign The Editors, Agence France-Presse ;
Should We Be Worried About Iran's Gaza-Bound Flotilla? Max Fisher, Atlantic Wire
The Emerging “Strong Horse” of the Islamic World, Joel Richardson, WND