31.5.2010

the peace flotilla interception, its sad results, and the controversy

although several videos have already aired on several locations in the web, i haven't seen yet a single video displaying the events taking place .
it is therefore still unclear who is to blame.
naturally, people are hastefully pointing accusing fingers.
several states have already condemned israel.
this post does not deal with accusations, though god knows that the accusing parties bear a worse record than israel's in past confrontations with political activists.
the factual question whether there was a better way for israel to intercept the flotilla without so many casualties and injuries is important, but is extremely hard to answer. post factum, everyone knows that the solution chosen did not work as planned. but stopping a flotilla in mid sea, without hurting a lot of the passengers, is an extremely complicated feat. the choice
of the IDF to land soldiers upon the ships does appear, at first logical thought, to be the
most minimal use of force possible in such circumstances, once accepting that the flotilla had
to be stopped (and considering israel's armed political conflict with hamas, the flotilla had to be stopped, as far as israel's interests are considered).
sadly, the choice that the idf made turned out to be horrible, in the price paid in human life
and injuries.
testing the outcome, it does seem that israel has failed.
and even if this failure was inevitable, and necessary for israel's safety,
the loss of life is sad and tragic in the human perspective,
and potentially destructive in the political perspective.
as the hebrew saying goes for people who died : "chaval al de'avdin".
regardless of politics, we are are grieving for all those who died.

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