TheSpade: Instead of cute one liners you might have tried something a tad bit novel like offerinf a factual rebuttal. I have faith in your ability. Try it, you may just enjoy the warm feeling one gets when they develop a bit of integrity.
Eclipse: "Killing Aid workers.": IHH, the Turkish group whose ship was boarded in THIS INCIDENT is an Islamo-fascist organisation banned in Turkey, in 1997 when found to have been smuggling weapons and directly connected to al Qadah.
When current Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, himself the leader of an Islamo-fascist political party took office their suspension was rescinded.
Before they had left Cypriot Water the ship was the scnene of an al Jazeera Arabic interview where the leaders of IHH, 1 brandishing an unsheathed scimtar, described their goal as "MARTYRDOM" while "battling Jews."This lovely idea was expressed as the leader holding the scimtar stabbed the air.
Then, the refrain of, "Khaibar, Khaibar ya Yahood, Ja'ish Muhammad sa ya' ud!!!" was shouted over and over with punctuations of, "Allahu Akbar!!!"
"Khaibar," for those of you unfamiliar with Islamic theology and history was a Jewish town that was subjected to racial genocide, by Muhammad's Islamic Army in 628 CE/AD.
The refrain, in English, is as follows, "Khaibar, Khaibar, oh Jews, the Army of Muhammad will retrun!" In other words, this was the promise to commit genocide against Jews (not Israelis per se).
"Allahu Akabar" is "Allah is great!" It is a refrain shouted in battle before committting martyrdom.
These were anything BUT "Aid workers.
Eclipse Part II
I) "Israel committed piracy!": "Piracy" is defined in Maritime Law as an act commited FOR PRIVATE GAIN/PROFIT. Try again.
II) "Israel boarded a ship in International Waters!": So what? Please acquaint yourself with the most basic facets of Maritime Law for Armed Conflict please, you will save both of us time and yourself embrassment. Try again.
III) "They were holding white flags as Israel boarded!": NOT the ship in question. By now I would imagine that you had seen one of several videos showing that these "peaceful" "Aid workers" did just what I said they did; They smacked Israeli soldiers across the face with crowbars and aluminum folding chairs, before they had even come off the rappel cable. Feel free to edit as will. Try again.
IV) "Israeli soldiers used live fire!: Yes, AFTER being attacked with deadly force by several dozen Islamo-fascists who bragged they were there to commit martyrdom. Try again.
V) "If someone comes onto a boat waving guns at Eclipse he/she would use deadly force as well.": First, IF someone comes up to you with a live weapon and tells you to heel I doubt you would do much more than kiss his ars* but as you wish. In THIS case the Israelis whi landed on THAT ship were carrying LTL rifles. Let me educate about that term, "LTL," it means "Less Than Lethal." Those rifles? They were paintball and pepper bag rifles, used to disburse angry crowds.
They also carried sidearms fully holstered on tactical vests, 2 of which were taken from them by those "Aid workers" who then shot them, trying to kill them.
Those same "peaceful" people attempted to secure the rappel cable to the ship's rigging to down the copter, which of course would have caused it to crash probablly killing its entire crew as well as maybe hundreds on that 600 manned boat.
VI)" al Jazeera was on the boat!": Yep, I already said that. SINCE YOU KNOW THAT, WHY NOT WATCH THE FOOTAGE? If you bother, you will see just what your "Aid workers" were.
While you are at it, please research the organisation "IHH."
There were also journalists from several media outlets, all of whom took film, enjoy watching it, as you find everything I have told you to be irrefutable.
VII) "Eclipse quotes UN figures about the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.": Yes! That would be from UNRWA, UNOCHA, and UNHRC. The first 2 are entities that exist solely to service the "Palestinian Refugee" dynamic. In other words, they are simply trying to create job security.
In the entire time Israel has been involved with Gaza, since 1967 when Egypt abandoned it, not a single person, adult or child, has died from malnutrition or a curable disease. That is a fact.
The claim about the economy, while not as dire as they claim, IS somewhat accurate as well it should be given the fact that the land is Blockaded by both Israel and Egypt, with Quartet, UN, US and EU acquisence despite the newsbites for gullible Westerners.
Israel, and Egypt, are under no onus to "support" or "enrich" the Gazan Economy. IF and WHEN HAMAS abdicates OR else agrees to EU, US, Quartet and Israeli demands to reject violence and recognise the existence of Israel, you can rest assure that all things will imrpove for all Gazans. Until that time, they must live in the world that they have created.
An Islamo-fascist entity, devoted to racism and a genocidal agenda which stole power illegaly, and is in illegal occupation of Gazan Government creates its own problems.
Israel does not Blockade the so called "West Bank." Israel does not intercept Aid shipments to the so called "West Bank." Israel merely exercises its sovereign right to protect itself from an incredibly dire threat.
Utterly simple.
Eclipse Part III
I) "Water Resources in Gaza are insufficient.": Only a foolish foreigner would buy that nonsense. The region's largest acquifier sits under Gaza, they have all the water they want, and all the more so since Israel completely developed their post-67 Infrastructure.
II) "Reconstruction of homes and Infrastructure in Gaza is severely hampered by the Blockade.": Tough shi*. Next time don't launch rockets at Israeli children.
Concrete is used in large amounts to construct smuggling tunnels which are in turn used to amuggle contraband including, of course, Syrian and Iranian weaponry as well as foreign nationals. It is also used to construct launch pads for those friendly rockets.
Metal pipes are used to build Qassam rockets.
PVC pipes are used to construct IEDs, as well as smuggling conduits for gasoline and other contraband.
IF Gazans are unhappy they needs only do as I stated, back off their genocidal programme against Jews, Israelis and Israel. SO SIMPLE.
Ghostface: "What gives Israel the right to board a foreign flagged vessel in International Waters?": International Law, of course. Refer to "US Commanders Handbook of Naval Law," which discusses the right to board a ship expressing an intention to run a Blockade as soon as it leaves port, even in another nation's CZ (Contigious Zone, 24 Nautical Miles from its Coast). International Waters, a.k.a. "High Seas" are a walk in the park.
The flag? Neutral States, in this case Turkey, since THIS ship was Turkish Flagged, are not immune.
You can dig into Hugo Grotius, the father of modern Maritime Law, "The Freedom of the Seas" (1608) , re Res Nullius/Res Publica, etc.,etc.
You can poke around in LOSC (UN Maritime Convention 1982), too many Principles to quote here.
"Principle of Passive Personality," "Principle of Universal Jurisdiction" and "Principle of Protection and Security" re Competence rellee ou competence du protection, among many others...
You can take a gander, of course, at "San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea," (1994) but everyone is dredging that up and should you actually care about these issues you should have found this already with just a cursory search. Specifically, "Neutral Merchant Vessels" under Principle 67(a),(b),(c) and (d).
You can read, "International Law," edited by Malcolm Evans, the 2003 edition and the section, "The Law of the Sea."
Hope it helps.
Ismene: "We are all Hezbollah now.": I don't know which nation YOU live in but that piece of juvenile ignorance can get you arrested quite easily if you live in the US or most of Europe.
That is also ignoring the fact that Hezbollah is a racist and genocidal organisation, so kudos for sheer stupidty.
Spade: "YES, ISRAELIS WERE ATTACKED.": Thank you for proving me correct. Your check from Hasbara Central is on the way.
"99% of Israelis are cun*s with chips on their shoulders.": Spoken like the racist you truly are. I respect your commitment. How is Mosely these days? Well I assume?
Eclipse:"Israel jammed all electronics so as to censor the story.": Were you not the sharp tool who just told us al Jazeera was aboard? You cannot even master "consistency," perhaps you should leave the "geopolitics" to grown folks. Don't worry though, I will hold your hand and help you learn these very basic things.
"Is Rachamim registered with 'Giyus'?": I don't even know what it is. Assuming its an advocacy group, the name means "Exile," why would you imagine they would give a flying fuc* what a Harm Reduction site thinks? Talk about delusions of grandeur.
My effort is all my own. As someone who is an Israeli, and actually knows what the fuc* he is talking about, I confront blind ignorance whenever I run across it, enter you, stage left.
Felix: "Because 7 IDF soldiers were shot and stabbed, maybe they need more training.": That has got to be the stupidest line in an exceedingly stupid page and half. IF they had used assault rifles, as they were legally able to do, and kill dozens of those Islamo-fascists you would whine about it to no end. Because they allowed themselves to be beaten senseless to minimise volaitility you still whine. Hahahaha.
Ooooh, but the experts on Maritime Law are back to pondering....MEPHEDRONE, hahahahaha.
There was one DJ in the Daily Mail who died from taking 10 pills and a gram of MDMA.
