Naturally, even the ship loaded with Turkish terrorists remains an "aid transport".

A Danish reporter about the "desperate situation" in Gaza:

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/06/danish-report-from-gaza-wheres.html

Turns out #flotilla is no longer a top subject on Twitter.

It probably is a crime now that Israel is doing it but wasn't a crime when the US and everybody else were doing it.

International law is a fast-changing field. It's sometimes difficult to keep up.

His knowledge of international law is excellent. He understood the simple formula: everything Israel does is a war crime or at least illegal per "international law".

The absence of pointers to the actual written law is a mere formality.

San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea. Below is the text from section five (67 a) Section V : Neutral merchant vessels and civil aircraft Neutral merchant vessels 67. Merchant vessels flying the flag of neutral States may not be attacked unless they: ... (a) are believed on reasonable grounds to be carrying contraband or breaching a blockade, and after prior warning they intentionally and clearly refuse to stop, or intentionally and clearly resist visit, search or capture.

Can our local export on international law please explain the above?

It also might not hurt if the UN and their organisations read their own fecking laws for once.

Found what went out on air tuesday (different from above link, which was online only).

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4223912/inside-the-freedom-flotilla

Hi Daiwa,

So here's the thing. One group of people (namely Israel, the U.S and Egypt) are saying that plenty of aid is making it through already.

However, the UN stated in 2009 that "insufficient food and medicine is reaching Gazans, producing a further deterioration of the mental and physical health of the entire civilian population since Israel launched Operation Cast Lead against the territory."

Even Israeli human rights groups are saying this, meanwhile Israel does not have a list of all the exact items they will or won't let pass, as it is a "state secret"

So, what exactly was being carried on the "flotilla of terror"???

-Wheelchairs, cement, water purification systems, childrens toys and notebook paper.

Now, there should be no reason why the IDF couldn't have simply searched the ships and let them go on their way. In fact, they would have won big points on the world stage... instead the strategic relationship between Israel and Turkey is now dead, way to go on losing one of your biggest allies in the muslim world!!!

Furthermore, while much ballyhoo has been made of the fact that the brave Israeli commandos were assaulted by the cretinous humanitarian terrorists, the undisputed fact is that of the six ships, fighting only broke out on ONE. And on that one single ship that fighting did occur on, the passengers had no weapons against which they fought the valiant IDF troops who came with automatic weapons.

So of the nine who were killed, who were these terrorist scum, really?

We know of at least three so far-

-an Indonesian doctor was shot in the stomach

-a photographer was shot in the forehead

-Furkan Dogan, a Turkish-American high school student who was studying social sciences, was shot 5 times at close range, with four bullets in his head and one in his chest

And yet, Israel is saying it's troops were the victims, despite the fact that they were the aggressors, storming a ship full of un-armed civillians, carrying paper and water-purification gear, with heavily armed shock troops.

Way to go! Further proof that Israel has become it's own worst enemy.

Appears your optimism was premature, Leauki: Link.  Presumably, Joe Who Should Be Biden His Tongue spoke out of turn again.

That's exactly what they were trying to do. That's why they boarded the ships.

Then they were attacked.

Arty,

Has it ever happened that Israel was right and her enemies were wrong?

The video shows that the soldiers were surrounded by the thugs. Do you expect them to run away and then shoot?

Some people have never met a good Jew who was attacked and is still alive.

On a more serious note...

https://forums.joeuser.com/383403

But you are not a liberal, so you are not "good".

Yes. Thousands of demonstrations were about "use of disproportionate force" in the sense that 10 people died, in the middle-east!

That must be it.

Have you seen the video of the thugs attacking the soldiers?

I am not sure yet it's unfortunate. Turns out they were Islamists and members of a group that is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the US.

Maybe Israel should cuddle potential weapon smugglers.

Seriously, you bring up good points. But the problem is that the world will always condemn Israel, no matter what Israel does.

So Israel can just as well be violent and protect Jewish lives.

Maybe if there were some positive feedback if Israel does something the world wants, like withdrawing from Lebanon or Gaza, that would change things. But at the moment Israel is well aware that being nice means more rockets and being tough means more condemnation.

Condemnation is better than rockets.

If the world were willing to change the equation, there would be more options.