Jewish flotilla: IDF used excessive force in naval raid

[bit_pattern]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diploma...f-used-excessive-force-in-naval-raid-1.316247

Earlier Tuesday the IDF reported that Israeli naval commandos peacefully boarded the Jewish aid boat attempting to break a naval blockade on Gaza, saying "IDF naval forces recently boarded the yacht 'Irene', and it is currently being led to the Ashdod seaport along with its passengers."

However, testimonies by passengers who were released from police questioning later in the day seemed to counter the IDF's claims, with Israeli activist and former Israel Air Force pilot Yonatan Shapira saying that there were "no words to describe what we went through during the takeover."

Shapira said the activists, who he said displayed no violence, were met with extreme IDF brutality, adding that the soldiers "just jumped us, and hit us. I was hit with a taser gun."

"Some of the soldiers treated us atrociously," Shapira said, adding that he felt there was a "huge gap between what the IDF spokesman is saying happened and what really happened."

The former IAF pilot said he and his fellow activists were "proud of the mission," saying it was organized "for the sake of a statement – that the siege on Gaza is a crime, that it's immoral, un-Jewish, and we have a moral obligation to speak out. Anyone who stays silent as this crime is being committed is an accessory to a crime."

Eli Usharov, a reporter for Israel's Channel 10 affirmed Shapira's version of the events, telling Haaretz that the takeover was executed with unnecessary brutality.

"They used a taser gun against Yonatan. He screamed and was dragged to the military boat," Usharov said, adding that both Yonatan and his brother Itamar were handcuffed.

I guess they can't justify actually shooting Jews...

 

[WildCat]

Gee, you'd think breaking a navcal blockade would be all fun and games and puppy dogs and laughs and cake and ice cream. Who could predict the soldiers enforcing the blockade would be so mean!

 

[Thunder]

must be a self-hating Jew.

 

[The Fool]

The IDF apologists don't mind.....on with the violence.

 

[Giz]

The IDF apologists don't mind.....on with the violence.

Do I mind that Hamas is blockaded? No!

Would I mind if a non-genocidal non-terrorist group was blockaded? Yes!

Pretty simple really...

 

[Thunder]

Do I mind that Hamas is blockaded? No!

Would I mind if a non-genocidal non-terrorist group was blockaded? Yes!

Pretty simple really...

err....the Egyptian side of the blockade is over.

the blockade, is pretty much non-existant.

 

[bit_pattern]

I can't wait to hear all about how Israel's Channel 10 news are actually part of an anti-Semitic, genocidal hate campaign against Israel.

 

[Pardalis]

The Channel 10 reporter also said that the activists managed to have a serious heart-to-heart conversation with the troops once they were all placed on board the military vessel, and that "overall the atmosphere was good."

I guess the "atrocious treatment" they referred to is that they didn't offer them tea.

 

[The Fool]

Do I mind that Hamas is blockaded? No!

Would I mind if a non-genocidal non-terrorist group was blockaded? Yes!

Pretty simple really...

Hamas is not very effectively blockaded anymore, the blockade has virtually collapsed and its remnants are simply being cheered on by mindless apologists. This is simply a face saving flap around by likud. Lets look nice and tough against the intollerable threat of a single yacht.

 

[Doctor Evil]

The excessive force seems to be that one of the people on the boat was tasered, when refusing to go with the soldiers. There are also complaints that some of the people were handcuffed but considering that said people were being arrested I find that within what is expected.

The only question is why this thread was started? Am I supposed to feel righteous moral anger? Because I do not. Instead I am quite underwhelmed. What's next? An Israeli breaks a pencil belonging to a peace activist?

 

[Aepervius]

Gee, you'd think breaking a navcal blockade would be all fun and games and puppy dogs and laughs and cake and ice cream. Who could predict the soldiers enforcing the blockade would be so mean!

What I like is that you are always here to tryx to distract the attention away from the true question.

The true question is not "did the breaker expect to get handcuffed tazed or worst".

No the true question are : 'why the spokesman would lie/retouch the truth to make it pallatable to media (if indeed the above account is correct)' and 'if the "truth-retouching" is confirmed, how many other retouching or downright lies are there to detect on the previous raids ?".

Just my two cents.

I won#t pretend to know the answer, but then again unlike you I won#t pretend the journalist account is true or false just out of ideology.

ETA: It raises question that some simply dismiss out of hand and out of ideologial reason. Not a good things IMHO.

 

[Eddie Dane]

Did they bring children this time?

Because when I break through a naval blockade in a conflict zone, I always take the little ones along.

 

[WildCat]

What I like is that you are always here to tryx to distract the attention away from the true question.

The true question is not "did the breaker expect to get handcuffed tazed or worst".

No the true question are : 'why the spokesman would lie/retouch the truth to make it pallatable to media (if indeed the above account is correct)' and 'if the "truth-retouching" is confirmed, how many other retouching or downright lies are there to detect on the previous raids ?".

Just my two cents.

I won#t pretend to know the answer, but then again unlike you I won#t pretend the journalist account is true or false just out of ideology.

ETA: It raises question that some simply dismiss out of hand and out of ideologial reason. Not a good things IMHO.

What "truth retouching"? I don't see the issue here, even if everything the spokesman says is true.

 

[WildCat]

err....the Egyptian side of the blockade is over.

the blockade, is pretty much non-existant.

Hamas is not very effectively blockaded anymore, the blockade has virtually collapsed and its remnants are simply being cheered on by mindless apologists. This is simply a face saving flap around by likud. Lets look nice and tough against the intollerable threat of a single yacht.

Glad to see you guys admit the only purpose of breaking the blockade is so weapons can be smuggled to Hamas to kill Jews.

 

[quixotecoyote]

What "truth retouching"? I don't see the issue here, even if everything the spokesman says is true.

Can you describe an interception as peaceful if you have to taze someone? I dunno, maybe. Relatively speaking, it's a minor thing. No one attacked them with weapons and they didn't have to shoot anyone, but they did taze this one guy, so... ?

Glad to see you guys admit the only purpose of breaking the blockade is so weapons can be smuggled to Hamas to kill Jews.

I don't see it. And by that I mean I don't see where they admit seeing it. They're cheering Egypt opening the border, which means that Hamas will again rearm and attack, but I don't see them acknowledging the obvious implication. Nor, on a somewhat unrelated note, do I think that means Israel should make it any easier for them to do so then it has to.

 

[bit_pattern]

^^ For someone I usually disagree with I must admit to often being impressed your reason and objectivity.

Glad to see you guys admit the only purpose of breaking the blockade is so weapons can be smuggled to Hamas to kill Jews.

Could you make any more of a dishonest interpretation of the posts you quotes? You really are a piece of work.

 

[WildCat]

Can you describe an interception as peaceful if you have to taze someone? I dunno, maybe. Relatively speaking, it's a minor thing. No one attacked them with weapons and they didn't have to shoot anyone, but they did taze this one guy, so... ?

So what? If you don't cooperate while being arrested they will arrest you by force. This surprises you?

I don't see it. And by that I mean I don't see where they admit seeing it. They're cheering Egypt opening the border, which means that Hamas will again rearm and attack, but I don't see them acknowledging the obvious implication. Nor, on a somewhat unrelated note, do I think that means Israel should make it any easier for them to do so then it has to.

Uh, no. Egypt is not letting weapons through so Hamas can rearm and attack. Egypt doesn't like Hamas.

The only reason for breaking the blockade is to smuggle into Gaza the only things that are banned - weapons and other war materiel.

Thunder and TheFool have bothe admitted other things aren't restricted.

 

[quixotecoyote]

So what? If you don't cooperate while being arrested they will arrest you by force. This surprises you?


Uh, no. Egypt is not letting weapons through so Hamas can rearm and attack. Egypt doesn't like Hamas.

The only reason for breaking the blockade is to smuggle into Gaza the only things that are banned - weapons and other war materiel.

Thunder and TheFool have bothe admitted other things aren't restricted.

Jesus Wildcat, I'm actually with bit_pattern at the moment. You are on a stunning misinterpretation kick and it doesn't suit you well at all.

 

[WildCat]

Could you make any more of a dishonest interpretation of the posts you quotes. You really are a piece of work.

It's the logical implication of wehat they are saying, as I explained above.

What possible reason is there for breaking the sea blockade, other than to ship weapons to Hamas? Even Thunder and TheFool admit there is no blockade of other items.

 

[McHrozni]

The excessive force seems to be that one of the people on the boat was tasered, when refusing to go with the soldiers. There are also complaints that some of the people were handcuffed but considering that said people were being arrested I find that within what is expected.

The only question is why this thread was started? Am I supposed to feel righteous moral anger? Because I do not. Instead I am quite underwhelmed. What's next? An Israeli breaks a pencil belonging to a peace activist?

That would surely be willful and deliberate destruction of property with no military justification, and a war crime.

McHrozni