First off, this diary is not meant to discuss the rightness or wrongness of the Gaza blockade. There are many diaries up right now for that discussion. It is also not meant to discuss the morality of enforcing a blockade. Again, such a discussion is abundant here already.
Rather, it is to discuss what transpired on the ship during the raid by the Israelis.
more below the fold
We’ve all heard the story by now. Israeli commandos attacked a peaceful aid ship full of unarmed peace activists, killing ten or more in cold blood. Yes, of course that is what happened. After all, we’ve seen it before, right? In Jenin, where they massacred hundreds. In Lebanon, where they killed dozens (hundreds? Thousands? Zillions?) of civilians. It is SOP for the IDF, I am told.
However, the evidence doesn’t back up the claims in this case.
The IDF claims that its soldiers were armed with paintball guns (apparently to mark the armed people on board, in order to later take them out) backed by real pistols stuck in holsters. Is the claim true? I can’t say either way, as I wasn’t there. However, what I CAN say is that they did NOT simply board the ship and open fire on peaceful, unarmed, peace activists. How do I know this?
There is video.
As I watched it for the first time, I became thoughtful. Obviously the Israeli plan was to board, subdue, and search (or stop) the ship trying to run the blockade, as they did NOT board with guns blazing. As you can see, each IDF soldier who boarded was immediately attacked by angry mobs armed with steel bars. One in the video was thrown off the deck.
The fracas became a study in hand to hand combat. Yes, the Israelis killed. But as you can see, they killed with their hands (and later, as they became overwhelmed, with pistols), and in self defense.
Now, you can say that they had no right to be there at all. However, that is your opinion. It is not, of course, the opinion of the Israeli government. It may not even be mine, or anyone else’s. But what this diary hopes to address is what transpired ON THE SHIP.
One last thought: If you were one of the ones who reflexively accepted the propaganda (and yes, it was propaganda, of that I now believe) that IDF soldiers attacked with guns blazing, cutting down passive and unarmed peace activists, ask yourself this question: Why did I simply accept this version of events? Why did I not wait for evidence? Why was I in such a rush to judge? Aren’t Israelis also worthy of our ability to see the nuance in each situation? Shouldn’t we, in this case, also apply the context that we demand others apply to various situations being debated?
One thing is certain: what we were told happened, simply didn’t happen. The Israelis showed restraint. They showed an UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT of restraint.
My respect for them, after watching this video, is even higher than it was before. They are, without a doubt, some of the most disciplined and professional soldiers on the face of the earth.