That is definitely debatable. What would have been the political ramification of defiance of Naval siege of Gaza ? How would have the Israeli population and world look this and ... Was this just demonstration of force by Israeli forces trying to show their own people their power and ...
The main question is who was behind this so called " Humanitarian Embargo" and what was the purpose of it ?
I think this was a well staged plan by Iran knowing that Israeli forces might over react or have no choice but to over react if provoked hard enough.
Shahin jan,
There is no shortage of groups and people (especially on the left) who would try a stunt like this. I doubt IRI would risk pulling off something like this with all its logistic headaches.
However let's get back to the question of what Israel could do: I would refer you to PM Netanyahu's defence of the act today: He said the Israeli authorities successfully searched five of the six ships in the flotilla which were ordered to take their cargo to the Port of Ashdod for a weapons search. "The sixth ship, the largest, which had hundreds of people on it, not only did not co-operate in this effort peacefully, they deliberately attacked the first soldiers that came on the ship", according to him.
Now for a nation known as master military strategists, it sounds extremely stupid to even attempt to board a ship with over 600 hostile and noisy militant activists or worse, and in international waters of all places, where your action is bound to cause death and injury and to draw international condemnation. Unless you cannot do it in any other way.
Israel continues to maintain naval blockade of Gaza strip. So nothing is easier to demonstrate to the world your intentions: Five ships cooperated and were able to deliver their cargo, the last ship is not cooperating so we will not let them into our waters until we can search it. They do not agree, they can stay in the water until grass grows under their feet.
Would the result be any less useful to Israel than the current incident?
But instead: Commando style boarding of the ship, up to 20 or more people dead, at the time that the US-Israel and EU-Israel relationships are less than cordial; with a US president who has been cold toward you PM and a Turkish government that is itching to cut relations with you; this sounds like political suicide. I am just wondering if some in Israeli military wanted to pull the rug from under Netanyahu's feet.
Israel complains that the world often gives it a biased negative view. Sure the actions of Israeli government do not seem to aim at resolving this problem, nor fighting the terrorists.