Report: Israel attacks flotilla, 10 die

[CaptainHaplo]

Originally stated by OTH - quoted (and so I actually saw it at first) by another poster:

Where are Americans being murdered? Or Israelis for that matter? All I see are aggressive wars and murderous acts committed by these two nations.

Finally we see the proof of the matter. Where are Israelis being murdered? All he can see is the fault of these nations...

In addition, Hamas leaders seem to have claimed that rocket attacks against Israeli civilians are justified as part of their resistance tactics against Israeli occupation. In an interview on May 5, head of the Hamas political bureau Khaled Meshal appeared to acknowledge that Hamas rocket attacks intentionally targeted Israeli civilians. In the course of describing why Hamas had decided to stop firing rockets for the time being, Meshal said:
"Not targeting civilians is part of an evaluation of the movement to serve the people's interest. Firing these rockets is a method and not the goal. The right to resist the occupation is a legitimate right but practicing this right is decided by the leadership within the movement."
Any party which partakes in hostilities, irrespective of the basis on which they assert a right to do so, must comply with the laws of war which provide that civilians are protected from attack and prohibit directing attacks against civilian objects and attacks that will have indiscriminate or disproportionate impact on civilian objects.
According to the website of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the group launched 345 Qassam rockets, 213 Grad rockets, as well as mortar rounds and other munitions from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009. The Qassam Brigades website claimed responsibility for each of the three Israeli civilian deaths caused by rocket attacks in late December 2008, which Human Rights Watch investigated.
Previous Qassam Brigades statements also indicated an intent to target civilian areas. A Qassam Brigades statement dated June 11, 2006, said that in response to an Israeli attack that targeted a group of fighters, that the group had carried out a rocket attack against Sderot and would continue attacking Sderot "until its residents flee in horror. We will turn Sderot into a ghost town."
The absence of Israeli military forces in the areas struck by the rockets indicates that many of these attacks are deliberately intended to strike Israeli civilians and civilian structures.
In addition the rockets fired by Hamas and other armed groups cannot be reliably aimed. Civilian structures damaged in Israel by rocket attacks since December 27, 2008 include a kindergarten, a synagogue and private homes. The inability to fire these rockets with any degree of accuracy has resulted in rockets also striking areas inside Gaza: on December 26, 2008 a Palestinian rocket hit a house in Beit Lahiya, killing two Palestinian girls, ages 5 and 12. Under applicable international humanitarian law, such weapons are inherently indiscriminate when directed towards populated areas.
Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have also violated the laws of war by firing rockets from within populated areas. While fighting in urban areas is not prohibited under the laws of war, firing rockets from within or near populated areas places Palestinian civilians at grave risk of Israeli counter-attacks, and violates the laws-of-war obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid placing military targets within or near densely populated areas and to protect civilians from the danger resulting from military operations.

Source - Human Right Watch: http://www.hrw.org/en/node/86177

Hamas own words - they are "evaluating" when to target civilians. They intentionally put civilians in danger by their actions - yet want to scream when those same civilians are harmed because of their proximity to Hamas.... Makes perfect sense... NOT!

But of course, OTH will try and claim that they are somehow justified in targetting civilians, while the IDF is to be eviscerated for using lethal force after being attacked by knife and metal rod bearing pro-hamas "peace activists".

And he probably wonders why he is landing on so many ignore lists......

[Zachstar]

CH let it go its over. Its better now that things cool down now for Israel. My bets are they are going to let the next 2 ships through with claimed "Rigorous weapons searches" The faster this bad news goes away the better their relations will improve again. My guess is also this inquiry will flop and will evaluate itself to be a 100 thousand pages saying "We dont know" The media will yawn and we will go back to watching American Idol.

They want the bad news to go away which is why they are tripping over themselves to get the activists deported ASAP.

[Zachstar]

See told ya! Hamas starts to look like the bully again preventing aid

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/...estinians.aid/

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israel has attempted to deliver humanitarian aid from an international flotilla to Gaza, but Hamas -- which controls the territory -- has refused to accept the cargo, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.

[CaptainHaplo]

They CAN'T let those ships go through unless they are boarded and searched. Literally - they cannot. To do so would mean they are withdrawing the blockade - and that is something that they cannot do because it WILL become a corridor for weapons.

They will either board the vessels and search them - or divert them. I would bet a dollar to a donut on it.

One thing history has shown is that when it comes to Israel, they are willing to shoot the world the middle finger along with a hearty "Eff You" if its over their security.

[August]

Originally Posted by MH

What a pure hearted speculation...you must be really nice person but naive man.

He was speaking sarcastically.

[Zachstar]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

They CAN'T let those ships go through unless they are boarded and searched. Literally - they cannot. To do so would mean they are withdrawing the blockade - and that is something that they cannot do because it WILL become a corridor for weapons.

They will either board the vessels and search them - or divert them. I would bet a dollar to a donut on it.

One thing history has shown is that when it comes to Israel, they are willing to shoot the world the middle finger along with a hearty "Eff You" if its over their security.

Israel is not going to do something so foolish as give its enemies MORE PR ammo. It makes stupid mistakes but seems to not make them twice just lots of variety to their stupidity lately.

The blockade is broken the border with egypt is open and the tunnels are still there.

The ships will be searched. But without commandos this time. That was dumb beyond belief and whoever in the military came up with that idea need to be retired.

[Stealth Hunter]

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

I'm sure they kept all this stuff on board just for fun.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...n_Marmaris.jpg

Let's see. Kitchen cutlery with a big-ass qietar (the Prince of Persia-looking dagger thing that cooks in the Middle East use to sharpen their knives with), some hammers, some bits of wood, some wrenches, some ropes and chains, some CDs, a shawl, and the Kingdom of Nejd Flag.



la 'ilaha 'illa-llah muhammadun rasulu-llah

"There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"

Same thing Saudi Arabia has on their flag. And old Hejaz.

Where are the guns and grenades they supposedly had brought along with them from port that were found anyway? This is an honest, curious question.

Originally Posted by L.T.

Ordered an act of piracy
Stopping a aid transport protectet by article 33 of the geneva convention
Killing people in international waters..

Even Somali pirates have worked out techniques for boarding and capturing vessels without the need to kill anyone.

[GoldenRivet]

The report i heard on NPR on my commute told of dozens of undocumented individuals with ties to jihadist organizations, boxes of cash, and rifles.

[Stealth Hunter]

From that 12 year old French infiltrator's report from that 13 year old Turkish government assessment, right?

This is the one I'm talking about, anyway.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

Hamas own words - they are "evaluating" when to target civilians. They intentionally put civilians in danger by their actions - yet want to scream when those same civilians are harmed because of their proximity to Hamas.... Makes perfect sense... NOT!

On the morality front, it is no worse than the "evaluation" involved when deciding which German / Japanese cities to bomb in the name of helping the war effort. Hamas is not saintly, but surely this is no counterpoint...

[Castout]

Israeli linked the flotilla with Al-Qaeda.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100603/...l_palestinians

Al-Qaeda has gone into being the word of convenience for many politicians it seems. It's been branded, trademarked. Qaeda this Qaeda that.
Of course Osama has managed to remain elusive or dead depending on what story to subscribe.

Sad thing it reported that Hamas refused the goods unloaded by Israel from the 6 ships. Humanitarian issue is now politicized. And the ones paying the price are the dead activists victimized by their good intentions and the suffering Gazans which are . . . . still suffering.

Ohhh please grow up you pathetic leaders . . . the world doesn't revolve around your two camps at the cost of the people.

Gaza activists receive enthousiastic welcome in Turkey.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/10222131.stm

They also brought back the deceased, R.I.P.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Zachstar

See told ya! Hamas starts to look like the bully again preventing aid

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/...estinians.aid/

Wot - no public outcry...? No demonstrations...? No storm against the walls of embassies...? No call for the Security Council...? No condemnation of Hamas...? No Turkish prime minister talking amok...? Is the world sleeping...?

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Wot - no public outcry...? No demonstrations...? No storm against the walls of embassies...? No call for the Security Council...? No condemnation of Hamas...? No Turkish prime minister talking amok...? Is the world sleeping...?

Exactly.

Originally Posted by Skybird

Wot - no public outcry...? No demonstrations...? No storm against the walls of embassies...? No call for the Security Council...? No condemnation of Hamas...? No Turkish prime minister talking amok...? Is the world sleeping...?

Nobody murdered by IDF...?