Initial thoughts about the flotilla disaster

Marian Lebor

This is complete nonsense. The fortilla was attacked by Israeli forces who boarded in international waters, Israel had no right to forcibly board the ships outside its own waters.

Plus you seem to try and COMPLETELY WRONGLY associate this fortilla with terrorism. This has nothing to do with terrorism, its about international peace activists trying to distribute tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza, an area which Israel continually claims it does not occupy. So if Israel does not occupy Gaza, how can it legitimately stop medical supplies and other aid reaching the Gazan people

tomeisner2 - your offensive rant doesn't deserve the dignity of a reply.

ibrows - I did not say this flotilla was associated with terrorism, but I do say that its aim was provocative. The aid could have been delivered.

I said my family has suffered at the hands of terrorists yet I have always worked on behalf of peace and coexistence projects. There are many Israelis and Arabs who work jointly in this way, and that is the only way forward, in my opinion.

The IHH is an extremist Islamist organisation exporting its global Jihad, and in this regard is no different from al-Qaeda and Hamas.

This was clearly a provocative act, with tragic consequences. Part of the tragedy is that those killed were clearly being used and set up by Islamist extremists, just as innocent civilians are used and set up by Hamas. And, lest we not forget, Gaza has a border with Egypt too, which is also blocked (by Egypt). Where are the protesters there?

wake up vivien - the provocation is the israeli blockade of gaza and its conversion into a giant ghetto. what should the gazans do - sit down and die? israeli policy is illegal, inhumane, and downright stupid. those killed as you say, were murdered, in internalional waters, by an israeli pirate boarding party. there is no other way to view it. egypt blocks the border because the americans threaten to end aid if they dont. if only the us would threaten to withold aid from israel, we might see some real progess.

Steve, Israel took down settlements to hand Gaza over to the Palestinians. They could have built it up (and other Arab countries could have certainly supported that), but instead they chose to elect Hamas and focus on constant attacks into Israel. Hamas leaves their peole poor and uses them as civilian shields in attempts to destroy Israel. While Gazans are certainly victims, Israel must defend itself. What other country would allow these attacks from a border and not defend itself. Israel's blockade is there to prevent that. Israel has attempted to make peace for years, only to be rejected. Read the following for more information - http://www.icvt.org/RR.php.

And in this situation (the flotilla), while made some mistakes, as Marian acknowledges, they had no choice once the so called "peace" activits became attacking them.

yes vivien, israel did physically leave gaza. unfortunately then then imposed the blockade - an act of war under international law. what would you like the gazans to do about that that? they elected hamas, because fatah had been undermined by israels refusal to move on peace and ending settlements. civilian shields? did you not read the un report by judge goldstone, documenting the IDF use of gazan civilians as shields during the gaza masacre 2008/9? Israels attempt to make peace? are you joking? lebanon 1982, two intifads brutally supressed, another gaza invasion 2006, and cast lead massacre 2008/9. if thats making peace i dread to see what making war would look like.