Would that not have been an abandonment of the concept of Israel defending its sovereign territory?
Would that not have been allowing a precedent to be set that ships with uninspected cargoes can come to Gaza?
What would the effect of allowing such ships to come be?
Has anybody in Gaza ever launched any missile at any town in Israel?
Was the missile and all of its parts manufactured in Gaza?
Or did the missile get brought to Gaza from somewhere else?
What would happen to the innocent civilians in Israel if the people of Gaza had an unlimited supply of missiles to launch into Israel?
Here’s a list of nations USA, Russia, China, France U.K. Germany —- How many of these nations would allow ships with uninspected cargoes to come into their ports?
How many of these nations would abandon their sovereignty?
How many of these nations would put their citizens at risk of death, when they could avoid that?
Come on now, speak up! You in the back — would you say "yes"?
Nobody??
OK then let’s not criticise the Israelis. Let’s not be total hypocrites.
Ah, you want to criticize somebody — OK how about the leader of Turkey, who is the turkey behind this huge piece of nonsense. He could have closed it down in a heartbeat. But he let it happen, now people are dead, and injured.
The Israelis followed all the principles of military law. They used the minimum force. They did not open fire with live ammo until they were mobbed and beaten with metal bars and chairs in a life threatening manner. Two Israelis were very seriously injured in the fracas, before any Israelis opened fire with live ammo, which they had to ask permission before they could do. All of this is documented on tape. It is beyond dispute by any rational person.
Turkey should be expelled from NATO and suspended as a client of the World Bank. It has done big mischief, and plans to do more — it has two more ships it is planning to send — I guess it imagines that Israel will decide to abandon its sovereignty and national security —- no — it does not imagine that —- it just wants to cause mischief and loss of life — the world should send Turkey a message.
If they do send more ships, just sink them. War at sea is not beanbag. We can’t indulge lunatics at sea. International waters are not a lunatic asylum, and Israeli Naval forces are not patient care nurses in a lunatic asylum. Next ship gets sunk — the activists can paddle home, if they survive the sinking.
Let’s have one of those nations that I mentioned tell me that they would not defend their waters or ports, or that if they would, they would do it with more restraint, grace, mercy, class, and valor than the Israelis showed in this case. We all know that China and Russia would grease this sort of monkeys in a heartbeat, with hellfire missiles, turn them into instant sharkfood and be done with it. So, let’s not be hypocritical.
For LTM —
I concur with the analysis in the article you posted. Israel in my view acted with valor, courage, and mercy, but a little sloppy under the laws of war at sea. There should have been shots across the bow. At 60 miles out, this could have been done for half and hour with lots of loudhailer work, and flashbang grenades, and 5 inch shells, and 20 mm cannon. Isreal could have communicated with stark and harsh larity that the sea is not a lunatic asylum and that the Israeli Navy are not psychiatric nurses, and that the activists are not patients to be cared for in a special treatment facility. The idea of boarding with a small and not overwhealming contingent of commandos was a bit rash. The paintball guns were absurd. Never bluff. These guys had to ask for permission to lock and load. By the time they got it their situation was so desparate that people needed to be killed. Hamfisted, but valorous, hugely courageous, totally merciful, and with restraint beyond call of duty.
Technorati Tags: abandonment, ammo, cargoes, fracas, gaza, google, heartbeat, hypocrites, innocent civilians, israelis, metal bars, military law, missile, open fire, script type, sovereign territory, sovereignty, text javascript, unlimited supply, usa russia
