At least nine dead in an Israeli attempt to block ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. That’s bad enough. But the twisted logic of the Israeli government on the botched interception of the six boats sailing to Gaza is astounding. Here’s how Haaretz reports the Israeli government’s response:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he regretted the loss of life sustained by international activists after Israel Navy commandos stormed a flotilla bringing aid to the Gaza Strip, but said the Israeli troops who opened fire were justified for defending themselves.
“They were mobbed, they were clubbed, they were beaten, stabbed, there was even a report of gunfire. And our soldiers had to defend themselves,” he said.
Armed and armored soldiers board unarmed boats in international waters, and then claim that they were defending themselves? This kind of claim is possible only in a world in which the meaning of ordinary words is twisted beyond recognition. If we’re ever to have peace–in the Middle East or anywhere else–we to stop this kind of prevarication.
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