Lieberman: "There is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip"

One paragraph, worth more than all the videos you post..

(Btw, this was posted earlier, so again you've overlooked it)

My good friend, how can you ignore these things:

1) Seven hundred people came, and the only thing they armed themselves with is rods, a slingshot, and 1 or 2 knives.

2) There are women who brought their infants with them.

3) These videos are all of the inspection of the 5th or 6th ship. 4 or 5 ships tolerated this illegal action before it became too much.

 

Barak, this logic is so selective, I'm sorry. I will just state a few points for the benefit of the other posters:

- Boarding a ship illegally is an act of aggression. If you want to brush it off as "irresponsible", then so is the legal self-defense practiced by the people on the boat who's ship is being boarded by millitary force and have children and women on board.

Here's a simple way to look at it:

Activists depart > arrive in international waters > Israel, ironically, illegally lays siege to the activists > activists defend themselves legally > commandos shoot 9 dead for defending themselves legally due to an illegal act of aggression

You must see that, had Israel done things legally, it would be very different. The main difference would be that it could justify "self-defense".

There is a clear distinction you are missing. It is only self-defense if it's in Israeli waters or on an Israeli vessel and so on. Since this was in international waters and Israel forced its way illegally on the other vessels, self-defense is non-existant. You can't self-defend when you are on the offensive.

If I walked into your house in Switzerland and told you that I have no authority to do so but still want to check your safe. Then you hit me then I shot you. This is not ok. I can't come into your house and I certainly can't shoot you for defending yourself against an armed tresspasser making illegitimate requests.

Acting harshely against the incompetent people who allowed this to happen, Israeli or not, should certainly solve the problem.

Also, thank you for sharing your thoughts on Hamas. Reality though states that the IDF considers them terrorists and have allowed them to monopolize the only true source of wealth in Gaza. Essentially, you have blocked them in and allowed them an illegal tunnel system monopolized by terrorists which is occassionally attacked and currently being destroyed by Egypt.

Also, and most important for me, regarding what I've bolded in your quote, with all due respect and I say this very sincerely, the group who allowed this to happen (Netenyahu, Ehud Barak, etc) wouldn't dare block those goods from entering Gaza after this nightmare situation.

Honestly, Israel is buying short-term security at the price of eternal insecurity. West Bank is walled up and Gaza is blockaded as if they're caged animals. Till when? Clearly, it's till they all die, break out, or relinquish their desire for any part of Jerusalem.

 

I love the guy, but I think he has pulled the trigger too quickly here.

Great speech, but may easily look silly following the independent investigation.

 

That doesn't make it right.

What does make it right is that Israel knew Egypt were going to strike imminently and decided to start with a pre-emptive strike (I think that's what they call it) to shock Egypt.

 

I will give you that there was a 0.000000000000001% chance that someone fooled the ENTIRE crew (700 people) including women, infants, a holocaust survivor and a nobel prize winner and tried to smuggle weapons.

Certainly, it does not require 3 warships, I don't know how many commandos, guns, a helicopter and a 2-3 day meeting of Netenyahu, Ehud Barak, etc etc.

Surely, they could have waited for Israeli waters.

Surely, this kind of strategy and execution is for Somalian pirate ships and not for your average activist vessell?

or do you mean that they were going to smuggle that killer slingshot (marbles included) into Gaza?

Btw, they never went through the blockade. They did STATE that they will. But Israel had no right to do this in international waters unless they had reasonable grounds to believe major weapons or WMD's were being smuggled. If there are reasonable grounds in this case, then the law is worthless as you can establish reasonable grounds for even a paper sail boat.