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If Israel truly wanted to enforce a blockade, it should have waited for the ships to get into Israeli waters, searched them for contraband, and then turned the ships back. This raid was a terrible call by some suit in some position in the Israeli government. The soldiers were forced to obey the order, illegally board a boat, get attacked by deadly weapons and use deadly force to defend themselves. There is no self-defense justification because the deadly force was used during the commission of a seemingly illegal act.
So, the soldiers committed what seem to be illegal actions but may have had no choice. In the US, a soldier can refuse an order which he believes violates his oath or that he believes is illegal. I don't know if Israeli soldiers can do the same. Does anyone know? Obviously, Israeli commandos are thoroughly indoctrinated and perhaps they don't rise out of the haze of devout nationalism long enough to evaluate if this is "the right thing to do."
Regardless, I can't see how one could support the Israeli position here. In every case, I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6, but I really don't want my country to abuse my service and put me in such a lose-lose decision. This whole thing sucks all the way around.
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Gives a man a halo, does mead.
"Here lies The_Jazz: Killed by an ambitious, sparkly, pink butterfly."
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