Israeli Navy Boards Gaza Aid Ship (no violence has been reported and will be brought to Ashdod)

Source: Sky News

The Israeli navy has boarded the Rachel Corrie aid ship and no violence has been reported.

The Israeli Defence Force has confirmed soldiers boarded the ship with permission by sea, no helicopters have been used.

The Rachel Corrie will be brought to Ashdod Port where all goods will be inspected and transferred to Gaza.

The Rachel Corrie had set out with its crew determined to break Israel's naval blockade. It had ignored four calls to dock at Ashdod Port.


Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Gaza-Peace-Activists-On-Board-the-Rachel-Corrie-Being-Shadowed-By-Israeli-Forces/Article/201006115643738?lpos=World_News_First_World_News_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15643738_Gaza%3A_Peace_Activists

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Israeli troops 'board Rachel Corrie Gaza aid ship'

Saturday, 5 June 2010 10:49 UK

Israeli troops have boarded an aid ship trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military says the crew of the MV Rachel Corrie allowed its soldiers on to the Irish-owned vessel.

It says the boarding was peaceful and the ship is now being taken towards the Israeli port of Ashdod.

more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10245176.stm

Israeli troops board Gaza aid ship

Israeli troops have boarded a Malaysian-funded Irish aid ship headed towards Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid.

An Israeli spokeswoman said troops boarded MV Rachel Corrie on Saturday after activists aboard the ship ignored warnings to divert to the port of Ashdod.

Activists aboard Rachel Corrie were attempting to break the siege of Gaza imposed by Israel, five days after Israeli troops violently intercepted a flotilla of aid ships carrying humanitarian aid for the territory, killing nine activists.

Israeli naval vessels had been trailing the ship for several hours before storming it. Rachel Corrie's radar had also been jammed, cutting off all radio communiation.


more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/06/201064235620154213.html

Somehow I don't see the aid getting to the people who need it.

with the other ships, at least there was no mention of it that I saw.
That makes a huge difference.

You're trying to tell me they surprised the flotilla? With the loudspeakers blasting their intention to board?

Oh, wait. The problem was good manners. Yeah, that's the ticket.

The flotilla KNEW they would be boarded. They had discussed a token resistance which was certain to fail. Except on one ship a bunch of macho assholes decided to improvise. They're dead now.

instead of just rappelling down onto the decks with weapons at the ready? Especially in international waters?

There was a post here that laid out procedures for boarding vessels in international waters and it included radio contract requesting permission to board and, if refused, a call to the department of state (or equivalent )of the vessel.

That's pretty much what happened with the Rachel Corrie from what the OP article says - they received permission to board and no violence ensued. Nowhere in any reporting on the flotilla incident did we hear about any communication between the flotilla and the Israeli military before boarding so, yeah, sounds "good manners" may have prevented loss of life in this case.

what's the point? Your (Aquart's) position seems to be that Israel has no need to follow international law in regard to boarding foreign ships at will. Additionally, that those people (aka, "macho assholes") killed by gunshot were asking for it (as defense lawyers in rape cases are prone to claim) by resisting IDF forces.

Certainly, as an American citizen, it is difficult, if not hypocritical for me to decry the obvious disregard for legality demonstrated in this case when that seems to have been the policy of my own country from 2001 on.

Let me just say that the defense of the murder of those activists is indefensible, and that Israel is NOT the US and that all Israelis will eventually come to regret what their government has done, just as a lot of US citizens have done.

no... I don't want to be mean.

Just bear in mind that the ship full of macho assholes was fired upon from above by military helicopters and boarded by armed thugs in international waters. The humanitarian workers on the flotilla were kidnapped and mistreated while being held. If that were done by any other country it would be considered piracy or an act of war.

And if you are interested in more information, CBC has an informative interview by one of the surviving assholes. A Canadian one.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8482580

Peace.

Lovely when a plan comes together.

Its a lot harder to claim the boats full of muslim terrorists/sympathisers/martyrs/jew-haters (delete as appropriate depending on which israeli propaganda organisation spoonfeeds you your news) when the boats Irish and filled with non-muslims.

They couldn't get away with executions this time. The Irish leadership was watching.

In the first raid other ships resisted too. But deadly force was not used against them. Israel didn't fire live ammo at them before boarding. There were two dead before the first commando set foot on the ship. If we're wrong about that. Israel will release all tapes in there entirety.

This is the internet and anyone can say anything.

By another person on the Marmara, another witness, one who said that the Israelis were firing "rubber bullets" but that others thought they were being fired on with live ammo.

The other person said that in spite of rubber bullets, the first Israelis on deck were rushed. Before the first live fire occurred they were taking some of the Israelis, with fractured bones, below decks. One of the rapelling lines was tied to an antenna to make it very hard to either use the line by commandos #5 and above, endangering the helicopter. This line was detached from the chopper.

Now, here's a conundrum: Both were passengers on the Mavi Marmara, both were FGM supporters, and their stories diverge markedly. Which to choose? What's the basis for choosing? Does the fact that one is a reporter for a media source that openly opposes Zionism matter? Does the fact that one comes from an area that was under Israeli occupation for many years matter?

I'm sure that the judgment will be, "I believe this person and not that one because, well, it confirms my biases." At least that would be honest.

You'd really like the narrative given by the #4 commando to reach the deck. It's not like he's necessarily any more biased than the Peninsula tv dude. Except that his narrative disagrees crucially with the AJ guy and agrees with the Lebanese guy's account in some important details.

Personally, I'm not sure that in the pre-dawn twilight I'd be able to easily distinguish between paintballs and rubber bullets, or that paintballs aren't, in some sense, polymer-based projectives that could reasonably, by the uninitiated, be called "rubber bullets." To be sure, neither would be pleasant. Moreover, I don't see why they'd use paintballs instead of rubber bullets--perhaps the paintballs rupture and do less damage than rubber bullets?

Rachel Corrie was stopped. peacefully.
5 of the other ships were stopped. peacefully.
so in both cases, any criticism on Israel on stopping those boats is legitimate. (should be discussed still, yet legitimate no doubt).

the killings in Marmara is a direct responsibility of two factors:
1. deadly violence of (several dozens) deadly violent passengers (pretending to be peace activists, like most others on this boat who were truly peace activists)
2. wrong assessment of israel, in the planning phase, that ALL the passengers are peaceful activists


and whether they asked permission in the radio or not... these are not the real questions..
the difference is between peace activists and deadly violent passengers..

Anything after that is defence.

Dream all you want that the idf was just a bunch of guys out to give cookies away. If this was the case, why did they bring guns to begin with.

that would be my guess.

you can defend yourself?

That would be my guess.

by hitting them with pipes, because I dont want to get shot in the face with a shotgun. The video is quite clear, those guys wanted a fight and got one.

The other vessels did not have any problem.

try and keep up.

If you attack them they will kill you, just like the guys with pipes. The fact they are "zionists" makes it hard for some to look at this like any other boarding.

you guys continue to post these ironic statements. if these were anyone but "zionists" you and the other half-dozen or so defenders of the faith wouldn't give two fucking shits. if the script were flipped and it was arabs boarding ships and executing passengers you'd be tripping over yourselves to level your outrage.

now if the USCG opened fire on a ship prior to boarding with their helicoptors and guys with weapons, then you might have an argument. as it stands it's just more weak sauce.

a door mounted 240golf in front of you vessel. If you continue they will fire into your vessel. Hit up the internet, plenty of footage showing just that.

No one was executed. You guys keep using terms like execute and murder with no justification. All the other vessels who did not use violence had no issues.

You are right, no one would give a shit if the Kuwaitis boarded a vessel from Dubai and shot "passengers" who attacked them.

you guys keep using terms like commandos were attacked or lynched with no justification. but please do link me to those vids of the USCG tapping people in the temple at point blank and the medal ceremonies commemorating that.

a point blank pistol round makes and dudes hands zip tied?. Unless he was in custody it was not an execution, you know, going on by what the word means in the english language.

Now you want this to be an execution, real bad, but like the early facts of unarmed people being killed it will turn out to be BS as well.

De-install “megaphone”

Reboot

Clear out cache.

Grow a brain.

then you have, by all means, the right to defend yourself.

What do you think would of happened if these were israeli people who were shot by the Turkish military.

Your dreaming if you believe any Israeli commando will ever be tried at the Hague - let alone show up there for even an inquiry.

you are pushing.

That's every bit as abjectly pathetic as someone claiming that having a concern for Israeli civilians is using Kahanist talking points.

It's a fact Israel has committed gross human rights violations, so learn to deal with it. It's so lame that there's people around who just can't tolerate any criticism of Israel at all...

Never the Arab states. But of course they never quote the law. Never.

Not some generalized concept that you wish was the law. You weren't making it up were you?