No title

Submitted by Tim Lock (Saudi Arabia), Oct 4, 2011 at 14:58

Israel's decision to board the vessels with such substantial force at a great

distance from the blockade zone and with no final warning immediately prior

to the boarding was excessive and unreasonable:

a. Non-violent options should have been used in the first instance. In

particular, clear prior warning that the vessels were to be boarded and a

demonstration of dissuading force should have been given to avoid the

type of confrontation that occurred;

b. The operation should have reassessed its options when the resistance to

the initial boarding attempt became apparent.

vii. Israeli Defense Forces personnel faced significant, organized and violent

resistance from a group of passengers when they boarded the Mavi Marmara

requiring them to use force for their own protection. Three soldiers were

captured, mistreated, and placed at risk by those passengers. Several others

were wounded.

viii. The loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force by Israeli forces

during the take-over of the Mavi Marmara was unacceptable. Nine

passengers were killed and many others seriously wounded by Israeli forces.

No satisfactory explanation has been provided to the Panel by Israel for any

4Strictly Confidential

of the nine deaths. Forensic evidence showing that most of the deceased were

shot multiple times, including in the back, or at close range has not been

adequately accounted for in the material presented by Israel.

ix. There was significant mistreatment of passengers by Israeli authorities a

http://www.lawfareblog.com/2011/09/the-un-vindicates-israel/

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".