Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting of the inner cabinet on Wednesday morning to discuss different strategies for handling the anticipated arrival of another flotilla to the Gaza Strip.
The flotilla, which was expected to set sail in May, will now probably only embark in mid-June, its organizers preferring to wait for the outcome of the election to the Turkish parliament.
Meanwhile, the committee appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban-ki Moon to investigate last year's flotilla affair is expected to release its findings in another two weeks.
The new flotilla, which is also being organized by left-wing groups from Europe and the United States, along with the Turkish IHH organization, is meant to mark the one-year anniversary of the Mavi Marmara's controversial voyage. During the raid on the Marmara last May 31, nine Turkish activists were killed by members of the IDF's naval commando unit.
The new flotilla is expected to include about 20 vessels, including the Mavi Marmara. IHH has made clear in recent weeks that unlike the case with the previous flotilla, the current convoy will not set sail from Turkish ports. Instead, it will embark from another Mediterranean country.
This, along with the expected delay in the launching date, has led Israeli Foreign Ministry officials to speculate that the flotilla organizers do not want to embarrass the Turkish government. "Such facts actually reflect the strengthening of connections between the Turkish government and the flotilla's organizers," said one Foreign Ministry source.
At this stage, the Netanyahu government has not altered its policy, which stipulates that any vessel making an attempt to run the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip will be stopped forcibly. But during this morning's meeting, alternative policy scenarios are likely to be discussed. One possibility being entertained by 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 some neutral harbor.
The Turkel Committee, which reviewed events pertaining to last year's Gaza flotilla affair, was sharply critical of the government's conduct leading up to the event. It found that last May, the inner cabinet met to discuss the issue just once, five days before the flotilla arrived, and it failed to consider any other scenarios besides an armed raid on the incoming vessels.
At Wednesday's meeting, officials from the foreign and defense ministries will present intelligence assessments regarding the current flotilla's status. They will also review diplomatic overtures that have been made, most notably with Turkey, aimed at preventing the flotilla's departure. A number of countries, including the United States, Britain and Ireland, have issued warnings urging their citizens and the flotilla not to attempt to reach the Gaza coast.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will depart on Thursday for a short visit to Cyprus, where he will take part in a discussion with his counterparts from Cyprus, Bulgaria and Greece on illegal immigration, particularly from Turkey. Lieberman is expected to raise the issue of the anticipated flotilla.