The whole world is outraged. As it should be.

Thanx Rick.

Somalia isn't the only nation with pirates attacking ships in int'l waters.

Actually, the Israelis released the videos showing the very first encounter. As soon as they landed on the ship -- with *paintball* guns instead of real guns in order to avoid violence -- they were attacked by the protesters with knives, steel bars, and even chairs being hurled at them. They got the guys down on the deck and beat the crap out of them. One of the Israelis was even thrown overboard. Then the protesters started shooting guns at the Israelis. It was at that point that the Israelis shot back.

Do I think they could have handled it differently? Maybe, but then again I don't live in a tiny country that is surrounded by its enemies and is constantly under attack from every direction.

The stuff about "attacking in international waters" is being ignorant of the situation. If they waited a little longer, the protesters' ships would be intermingled with all the waiting ships within the Gaza waters, and the situation would have been many times worse. I say "waiting ships" because that is the tactic being employed by these people. Their object is to make it as politically difficult as possible for the Israelis to operate, and their actions are designed only to create uproar.

There are no "good guys" in this situation. And I don't think there is one set of "
attackers". Both parties are attacking -- the protesters attacking the Israelis and vice-versa. The protesters are not like the Red Cross trying to help some people after a hurricane. They are political opponents of Israel trying to help their enemies.

Thanx for your comments Todd. Hope you see my new post on the topic.