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Total number of comments: 3 (since 2010-05-23 11:42:16)

matt connolly

Enjoy occasional treks onto the net.

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  • Turkish jurisdiction
    • matt connolly May 31, 2010 at 7:41 pm with 5 replies

      Israel and Turkey are not at war. We don't want them to be at war. So the question is what laws were breached by the Israel action.

      I disagree with the analysis given in the article. One need not wait for one to enter ones territory before protecting its territory. If someone announces they are going to take a tank and crash through the American border from Mexico, one does not have to wait for that to happen before taking action. America would have the right to take the person at his word and take steps away from its border to stop the person.

      So I suggest Israel knowing the boats were planning to enter its territorial waters, had the right to preempt that entry prior to the boats reaching their territory. The law thus applied would be the Israeli law, since the act all but occurred in their territory.

      As far as an investigation taking place, it would be difficult for Turkey to conduct such since most of the actors who are responsible for the attack and the killings are in Israel and it is unlikely Israel will give Turkey access to these individuals.

      From best I can tell after following this event, Israel made a tactical mistake. It put its commandos onto the boats in the early morning hours hoping to take the boats by surprise. I do not think Israel intended to do any killing, as I suggested earlier. The Israeli commandos upon rappelling onto the boat were surprised by the reaction of those on board who resisted their advance with clubs. This put the lives of the commandos in jeopardy which was not a contingency that was prepared for. The commandos were lightly armed (apparently only with pistols and tear gas) and under attack.

      They sought permission to defend themselves with their weapons. The higher ups, realizing their error in putting their commandos in an untenable situation, panicked and gave their men authority to fire at the persons who were attacking them.

      Unfortunately, the commandos killed over ten persons on the boats. This, although a great tragedy for those who lost their lives, has been a bonanza for those attempting to publicize the plight of the Palestinians and those seeking to diminish Israel.

      I suggest after the furor will last a few days and then it will die down and the same old, same old will attain. It seems too many people on all sides have a vested interest in not bringing about peace in the area for peace to ever come.

  • How can Obama meet Netanyahu after this?
    • matt connolly May 31, 2010 at 8:31 am with 1 replies

      I'm really surprised by this. I wrote yesterday that except for sites like this, I expected this to be a non event, that is, Israel would peacefully seize the boats and direct them to an Israeli port. It is difficult for me to understand why Israel would do otherwise. The only explanation for this violence seems to me to be that the idea behind the obliteration of Gaza a year or so ago, that is, "let's teach these people a lesson they'll really remember," is now the mind set of Israel. Any threat to it, even a peaceful one as the flotilla, will be met with severe force so that not only will these people realize their error but anyone who thinks of following up will be deterred from similar actions.

      It is clear that when Rahm Emmanuel was in Israel recently and the flotilla was on its way toward it he discussed this with Netanyahu. This option had to be considered and the US response had to be known. Since Israel can expect no opposition from Congress, we should probably look for a resolution praising Israel's actions, it only had to worry about Obama. But since Obama was begging Netanyahu to come to the US to be friends so that the American Jewish money will again flow into Democratic coffers I expect a tepid response, if any, from him.

      History teaches us that Israel can do what it wants when it wants. It does not have to abide by the rules of other nations. As a nation that is under the belief it is constantly being attacked, it believes it has the right to do any forceful pre-emptive act it deems necessary. As History teaches, this too will soon blow over and things will fall back to normal except there will probably not be any future flotillas.

  • Reports - 19 people killed, 30-60 injured in Israeli attack on freedom flotilla
    • matt connolly May 30, 2010 at 8:12 pm with 4 replies

      I don't understand the point of the article. Yes, the Israeli Navy will stop these boats. Whether it is 78 miles, 68 miles, or 25 miles from land, it has said it would stop the boats and escort them into an Israeli port.

      It seems that some of the people on the boats are surprised this is happening. That is strange since Israel announced that was its plan. As far as calling the State Department, that is a waste of time since it knows what is happening. American citizens are not being attacked or abducted. They are being diverted in their attempt to go through an Israeli blockade.

      I suggest what is happening and will happen is all scripted out. Little will be accomplished with hysteria. Israel is doing what it promised to do. We all knew it would do it.

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