gaza flotilla
Under the `International Law of Armed Conflict` a state that has legally established a blockade can enforce it by boarding vessels in international waters that it reasonably expects might breach the blockade. restricting the entry of ships to Gaza, which is controlled by the Hamas terror organization, is a clear act of self-defense against the ongoing Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens and communities. so what went wrong?
Gaza Flotilla - Background
Since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, more than 10,000 rockets and mortars have been fired on their civilian population. As a result, Israel had no other option but to impose a naval blockade in order to stem the flow of such munitions. At the time of this writing on June 1, 2010, at least three rockets have been fired today into Israeli cities by Hamas from Gaza.
Israel appealed to the convoys of ships to dock at the Israeli port of Ashdod so that humanitarian supplies could be delivered to Gaza via land through existing crossings after being checked for dangerous materials. Egypt also extended the same invitation to ships for delivering of the cargo into Gaza. The flotilla rejected the offer, and one of the organizers themselves said that issue was not about the delivery of humanitarian aid, but rather about breaking the 'siege'. All attempts at dialogue and reaching an understanding were rejected, leaving no doubt that this was as an act of provocation having nothing to do with a genuine concert for the wellbeing of Gazans. Ships forcing their way into Gaza will do nothing to aid the people there.
Israel appealed to the convoys of ships to dock at the Israeli port of Ashdod so that humanitarian supplies could be delivered to Gaza via land through existing crossings after being checked for dangerous materials. Egypt also extended the same invitation to ships for delivering of the cargo into Gaza. The flotilla rejected the offer, and one of the organizers themselves said that issue was not about the delivery of humanitarian aid, but rather about breaking the 'siege'. All attempts at dialogue and reaching an understanding were rejected, leaving no doubt that this was as an act of provocation having nothing to do with a genuine concert for the wellbeing of Gazans. Ships forcing their way into Gaza will do nothing to aid the people there.
Gaza Flotilla - Mavi Marmara, What Went Wrong?
weapons
There were six ships on this flotilla. Five of those ships stayed within the realm of the acceptable. They defied Israel, refused to be brought to Ashdod willingly or for their aid to be brought to Gaza through other means. Still, they remained non-violent. On those five ships, no one was injured. No one was killed. Everything remained peaceful as the IDF had hoped.
on the sixth ship, however, soldiers were met with pre-planned violence. During the interception of the ships, the “demonstrators” on board attacked the IDF naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs. One of the soldiers got his weapon stolen. Fearing for their lives, IDF soldiers did what they were supposed to do: they defended themselves. In that process, 10 people died on the ship.
The violent individuals on that sixth ship had pre-planned this very scenario. Everyone knows that when confronted with live-fire, soldiers will respond with live fire and that people will be killed. Therefore, why would a “human rights” activist engage in such behaviour? Well, quite simple, unlike the individuals on the other ships which remained within the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, those violent individuals engaged in the tactics employed by suicide bombers and terrorists. They knew that if they opened fire, the well trained IDF would have the upper hand and that they was a very high chance that they would giving away their lives. Still, the only logical explanation is that they wanted to force IDF soldiers into killing them because they could then turn into martyrs, make Israel look bad, and help “the Palestinian cause”. This is precisely the tactics of terrorists and suicide bombers.
read more about terrorists on ship Mavi Marmara on Dan Illouz blog
on the sixth ship, however, soldiers were met with pre-planned violence. During the interception of the ships, the “demonstrators” on board attacked the IDF naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs. One of the soldiers got his weapon stolen. Fearing for their lives, IDF soldiers did what they were supposed to do: they defended themselves. In that process, 10 people died on the ship.
The violent individuals on that sixth ship had pre-planned this very scenario. Everyone knows that when confronted with live-fire, soldiers will respond with live fire and that people will be killed. Therefore, why would a “human rights” activist engage in such behaviour? Well, quite simple, unlike the individuals on the other ships which remained within the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, those violent individuals engaged in the tactics employed by suicide bombers and terrorists. They knew that if they opened fire, the well trained IDF would have the upper hand and that they was a very high chance that they would giving away their lives. Still, the only logical explanation is that they wanted to force IDF soldiers into killing them because they could then turn into martyrs, make Israel look bad, and help “the Palestinian cause”. This is precisely the tactics of terrorists and suicide bombers.
read more about terrorists on ship Mavi Marmara on Dan Illouz blog
peace activis?
Gaza Flotilla participants are not peace activists
soldier being pushed to the lower deck
Video footage of the raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara vessel shows activists on board brutally beating up troops with metal rods and chairs.
The video also shows one soldier being grabbed by some of the activists and being pushed down to the lower deck, sustaining serious wounds. Meanwhile, passengers on the ship kept on beating up the soldiers who landed on the vessel.
Following the takeover of the ship, soldiers displayed for the cameras the knives and other weapons used by the Gaza-bound activists in their attack.
One of the soldiers who took part in the raid and broke his hand in the clash recounted the moments of horror when he and his comrades were assaulted by about 30 activists on board.
“After every person came down (from the helicopter,) three or four guys grabbed a hold of him and simply beat him senseless. They lynched us. They were equipped with metal bats, knives, slingshots, and glass bottles. At some point we faced live fire by two guys,” he said.
“I was among the last to come down, and I saw the guys spread all over, each in another corner, with three or four people around each. I saw a soldier on the ground with two people beating the hell out of him. I pushed them off of him, and they moved on to me and started to beat me up with the poles. This is how I broke my hand apparently,” he said. “At the time I was not holding a weapon, just like everyone who came down from the rope barehanded and with our paintball guns on our backs.”
‘We faced live ammunition’
“They came at me and assaulted me. I took them down to the ground. I took a few steps back and pulled out my paintball gun. They charged me while I fired at their legs,” he said. “One of the bats shattered the weapon, so I moved on to the handgun, so that I have something to hold. At that point my arm wasn’t functional.”
“I saw two of my guys lying on the floor. We were being fired at, with live ammunition, from the corridor. It was bullets. I spotted a muzzle, and one of us fired at the guy. We came in after that and he wasn’t there.”
“There were about 30 people there,” the soldier summed up. “They simply came for war. We came to talk to them, convince them to come down, yet with every person who came down, they simply charged.”
Despite the video footage, Israel had been condemned worldwide over the raid, which claimed the lives of at least nine people. The events at sea also stirred great anger among Arab Israelis, who held rallies and waved PLO flags across the nation. Two police officers sustained light wounds in Umm al-Fahm, in northern Israel, after being stoned by locals.
The video also shows one soldier being grabbed by some of the activists and being pushed down to the lower deck, sustaining serious wounds. Meanwhile, passengers on the ship kept on beating up the soldiers who landed on the vessel.
Following the takeover of the ship, soldiers displayed for the cameras the knives and other weapons used by the Gaza-bound activists in their attack.
One of the soldiers who took part in the raid and broke his hand in the clash recounted the moments of horror when he and his comrades were assaulted by about 30 activists on board.
“After every person came down (from the helicopter,) three or four guys grabbed a hold of him and simply beat him senseless. They lynched us. They were equipped with metal bats, knives, slingshots, and glass bottles. At some point we faced live fire by two guys,” he said.
“I was among the last to come down, and I saw the guys spread all over, each in another corner, with three or four people around each. I saw a soldier on the ground with two people beating the hell out of him. I pushed them off of him, and they moved on to me and started to beat me up with the poles. This is how I broke my hand apparently,” he said. “At the time I was not holding a weapon, just like everyone who came down from the rope barehanded and with our paintball guns on our backs.”
‘We faced live ammunition’
“They came at me and assaulted me. I took them down to the ground. I took a few steps back and pulled out my paintball gun. They charged me while I fired at their legs,” he said. “One of the bats shattered the weapon, so I moved on to the handgun, so that I have something to hold. At that point my arm wasn’t functional.”
“I saw two of my guys lying on the floor. We were being fired at, with live ammunition, from the corridor. It was bullets. I spotted a muzzle, and one of us fired at the guy. We came in after that and he wasn’t there.”
“There were about 30 people there,” the soldier summed up. “They simply came for war. We came to talk to them, convince them to come down, yet with every person who came down, they simply charged.”
Despite the video footage, Israel had been condemned worldwide over the raid, which claimed the lives of at least nine people. The events at sea also stirred great anger among Arab Israelis, who held rallies and waved PLO flags across the nation. Two police officers sustained light wounds in Umm al-Fahm, in northern Israel, after being stoned by locals.