The Israelis were defending themselves? The activists provoked the attack? The good and well-meaning soldiers, with the highest reluctance of course, were forced to execute, I mean, shoot people because they'd incomprehensibly been set upon while slithering down ropes bearing children's toys? (Which, shazam!, turned into lethal weapons, just like magic.) Hmm. Perhaps we should see what the law (yes, that pesky thing) says about Israel's actions. (Not that that would matter much -- or at all -- to Israel.)
According to Jewish Peace News (http://jewishpeacenews.blogspot.com), Linda Brayer is "a human rights lawyer who specializes in the laws of war and international law in representing Palestinians and who lives in Haifa." She writes:
"The attack took place in international waters against ships flying under national flags of countries with which Israel is not at war, namely Turkey, Greece and the UnitedStates."
"Since no state of war existed at the time, the attack on these vessels constitutes an act of war against those governments under whose flags the vessels were sailing."
"Because this attack was carried out in international waters, the status of the relationship between Hamas, or any other Palestinian body, and the state of Israel is of no relevance whatsoever. Likewise, neither the blockade of Gaza nor Israel's claims and legal interpretations regarding it has any bearing on its acts of aggression in international waters."
"It is irrelevant what Israeli ministers, generals, admirals, or soldiers thought or intended. The test is in what they did. What they did was engage in acts of war using weapons of war in international waters against vessels that are protected not only in peacetime but also in times of war. Israel has therefore committed both crimes against the peace and crimes against humanity."
"Every single act carried out by the Israeli military forces in international waters on May 31, 2010, are unqualifiedly and absolutely violations of international law."
Too bad Brayer's so wishy-washy. But I think, with effort, we can infer her meaning:
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