You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Activists en route to Gaza: We won't resist IDF if boats seized
2010-05-24
Pro-Palestinian activists aboard one of the ships that will head for Gaza's shore as part of the efforts to "break the Israeli blockade," practiced a possible takeover by IDF naval forces at the port in Piraeus, Greece.
Smart, you may yet live ...
"We will not resist the Israeli forces. We'll explain to the soldiers that they are committing an offence," one of the organizers said.

Another organizer, a former Israeli who has been living in Sweden for the past few decades said, "We are preparing for the journey. We've loaded the equipment onto the vessels, which are manned by Greeks and Swedes. They are being briefed on how to conduct themselves should the IDF decide to seize the boat."

Amid reports that the Israeli navy will prevent any attempt to break the blockade, Dror Feiler told Ynet Sunday that the crew will not resist, but rather "try to explain to the soldiers that our intentions are humane and that by boarding the vessel they are violating international law."

Feiler, who served in the Israeli army in the 1970s, said he was aware that the journey will end once the soldiers board the vessel. "I know how this works. I was a soldier for three years and refused to serve in the territories, but I hope the Israeli government will come to its senses and refrain from attacking a convoy of 500 citizens. It won't look good," he said.

Henry Asher, a Jewish-Swedish physician, said the sail to Gaza, which is backed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "is important to the residents of the Strip and to the State of Israel. The Jewish state was not established to impose blockades. It is against Jewish tradition," he told Ynet.

"How are Gaza's children at fault for what is happening? This sort of collective punishment is forbidden by law," he added.

On Saturday some 30 Israeli ships set sail "to counter the Turkish flotilla." Posters comparing Erdogan to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were displayed aboard the vessels. Guy Bechor, who organized the Israeli sail, said it was an "appropriate response to a few rickety boats that are being presented as a threat to Israel."
Posted by:Steve White

#8  Sink them, without warning.

This.

They can explain to the torpedo that it's committing an offense. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Posted by: AzCat   2010-05-24 16:51  

#7  I think something like a marine thermite tape would be splendiforous. Divers just roll out some of that marine "duct tape" along the hull, and it burns a nice, hard to fix gash in the hull. The ship takes on more water than it can pump out, so very slowly starts to sink.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2010-05-24 13:40  

#6  Sink them, without warning.

Pour l'education de les autres.
Posted by: mojo   2010-05-24 10:53  

#5  "We'll explain to the soldiers that they are committing an offence" Only a true koolaid drinking liberal could make that statement. Instead of addressing the problem they would rather use children as pawns. BTW the problem is Hamas trying to destroy Israel.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2010-05-24 08:41  

#4  People have no imagination. For example, what happens if a bunch of those ships lose their propellers in international waters? The closest ships, the other ones in their flotilla, would be required to render aid, which would mean staying with them until a tow vessel arrived.

The Israelis could board several ships, then declare them "plague ships", which would require them to remain at sea, until certified by a national naval medical officer of a country recognized by Israel, to the satisfaction of Israeli Naval authorities. While on board, this in effect makes that nation responsible for that ship, and they could refuse it entry.

The Israelis could easily erect anti-ship nets, fire disabling shots, demand certifications of ships registries, complain to the insurance underwriters of those vessels, use fire hoses, board and disable engines, board and contaminate fuel, jam GPS, etc., etc.

These individuals should never assume they can force Israel into a no-win situation. The Arabs tried wiping them out a few times, and lost. This is a good indicator that the Israelis are a lot smarter than their Arab enemies.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2010-05-24 07:56  

#3  try to explain to the soldiers that our intentions are humane

Since we're not human in your eyes, why should we respect this?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2010-05-24 02:34  

#2  "try to explain to the soldiers that our intentions are humane and that by boarding the vessel they are violating international law.
I am not a lawyer, but if they enter Israeli waters without permission, they are breaking Israeli law. International law won't help them.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2010-05-24 01:35  

#1  ISRAELI NN > [Chief PA Negotiator][Saeeb] EREKAT:
1967 BORDERS OR WE GO TO THE UN [UNSC], in 2011 to formally demand a forced UN-created Palestinian State in lieu of Israeli-PA negotiations for same.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2010-05-24 00:17  

00:00