Israel Navy reserves officers: Allow external Gaza flotilla probe

The IDF could have used water cannons or tear gas or any other standard crowd control method. Instead they used live ammo. Why? The obvious answer is that now many civilians will think twice before joining a Gaza aid convoy, knowing they may pay for it with their lives. One can say that deterrence has been achieved, a goal always high on the IDF's list of priorities.

BRAVO!

I have never given up hope in the humanist Israelis. In them, the Jews one day will fulfill their promise to be the light unto the nations! The right wing racists in Netanyahu and his Russian mafia present more danger to Israel than they do to the Palestinians.

Israeli soldiers landed on board expecting no resistance, they are violently and brutally captured by more in numbers activists and disarmed, one even thrown off the boat. in order to free the one captured, army sent other armed soldiers, considering activists as terrorists threatening the lifes of Israeli soldiers, soldiers opened fire on any resistance, however, appears now that activisits clearly had no intention to kill the wounded soldiers, weapons unloaded, even soldiers taken care of by certain activisits. i would think, responsability goes to the ministers who considered all the passengers of the boat "terrorists" threatening Israel citizens. actions taken mean that, no innocent considered among all the passengers. Israeli gov reaction to the expected and mediatized provocation was a real mistake. an external investigation would certainly be against Israel national interest . decision takers for this reaction and operation should by themselves step down and take responsability so no investigation required.

Bravo to these Navy reservists for confronting the DENIAL of both our government and our military. Israel will only grow and prosper (and heal) as a country when we can risk criticizing our time-honed, but no longer effective policies - the ones based on FORCE FORCE FORCE. The ancient racist policies of ignoring negotiations and respect for our neighbors, and yes, even for our "enemies".

zionist forever: I think the point is that whenever you have such asymmetrical warfare - where one side is so vastly outmatched in firepower - it is incumbent on the stronger force to assert control and minimize casualties. Therefore, this action was a total failure.

The raid did not go well,but the survival of Israel depends on the IDF. They are heroes and must be given immunity from prosecution so as to find out the the truth about the idiots who planned the operation.

If Goldstone heads the new investigation, the likelihood is that Israel will refuse to cooperate with his team, as was done in his previous investigation. Israelis succeeded in thoroughly discarding Judge Goldstone, and for the reason that he served as judge under South Africa Apartheid regime. I would have thought this would have been used in his favor, after all it shows that he can even follow laws he may not personally like, but Israel needed a "psychological defense mechanism" and came to that conclusion. So much so, that even Yossi Sarid the ultra liberal accepts this nonsensical excuse. Now, if Israel refuses to cooperate with Goldstone, it will have to appoint a "State Commission of Inquiry", which Israeli law empowers in such a way that it will be independent and with subpoena powers such that there will be no hiding of evidence. This is better than an international inquiry, who the IDF will cheat on every turn. An Israeli commission also hands down recommendations, even of firing ministers, which it is politically very hard to resist. (Ariel Sharon had to resign under such a recommendation following the Sabra-Shatilla massacre.) For this reason, Israeli governments try to avoid appointing such commissions, but with Goldstone they will have to.

logic? in MY israel? it's more likely than you think, apparently.

respect to the Israel Navy reserves officers. Its seems a terrible crime the "go back to auschwitz" tapes, the killings. let the truth be told.

Well done thank you.

...but good for them...sound like honourable soldiers. (Wasn't sure what "purity of weapons" meant, though...)

An elite Israeli unit would never lose to unarmed activists in a fair fight. They were put in an impossible situation by incompetant poiiticians. Sort of like Black down in Somalia. How dare the politicians attempt to silence them. Honor is above complicity in a coverup.

...common sense!

The reserve officers are wrong.The u.n. investigation panel is wrong.Even a mentaly retarded person can see that the whole flotilla thing is an iranian/turkish/hamas ploy,using the suposed nhumger of the poor pals in gaza as an emotional blackmail to move the "goody two shoes" hearts agains Isrtael...All this is academic and was erased by the declaration of the iranian revolutionary guard,that they want to protect the aid flotillas...It didn't take long,for them to reveal the real intent behind the whole circus...WHAT THEY WANT IS TO PUT iranian WAR SHIPS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN FACING ISRAEL.EVFERYTHING ELSE IS PURE CAMOUFLAGE...

We have shown "contempt for the values of professionalism, the purity of weapons and for human lives." ??? If so, I am wrong. But is that so? Maybe....We should then go back to the terrible mistake of the occupation and Gaza closure, and disregard everything happening later. So, disregard all "action and reaction" events, like Sderot, suicide attacks, Shalit, etc, etc.on one side, and use zero reaction on the other side....Or, go, even further back with the action and reaction to 1967 and the 3 No's. Or to 1948 and....

This was the bombing of Iraq's nuclear reactor. Since then, the IDF was sent by politicians into unworthy operations. Let us review them: 1. The 1982 First Lebanon war. An operation designed to last 2-3 days lasts weeks and the IDF enters Beirut. In its wake, Hizballah is created, casualties abound, and the IDF finally escapes in 1999. Of course, the political leadership is responsible. 2. The 2006 Second Lebanon war. Israel responds to a military border incident by attacking civilian targets. A whole war is developed, and a million Israeli civilians have to excape their homes. No forward thinking by the political leadership and bad performance by the IDF. 3. The 2007 bombing of alleged Syrian nuclear reactor. The IDF carries out a brilliant attack, except that it would have been much better not to destroy the facility but to inform IAEA, then see Syria under UN sanctions, as Iran is today. Syria got off scot free, and a nuclear facility never certified. A major failure of Israeli statesmanship. 4. The 2008 Cast Lead in Gaza. What should have been an operation lasting a couple of days is prolonged to 33 days of bombing, with multiple war crimes committed. Another major failure of the political level. Reminds one of the excess in the flotilla incident. CONCLUSION: Get rid of trigger happy politicians, replace them by Kissingers.

Not following the official script, these officers have risked a lot to publicly do this, they are hero's but will be branded as 'traitors' and 'self hating leftist jews' by our right wing friends. This will shake the country, and it's about time. Netanyahu is on his last legs and will have to go, shame there is no one of real substance to take his place.

FACT: the soldiers didn't go aboard intending to harm anybody their primary weapon was a paintball gun the only real guns they had were pistols as a last resort weapon. FACT: the soldiers were lynched when the boarded the ship by men armed with metal bars & knives and 2 soldiers had their pistols stolen. FACT : it doesn't matter why the fight broke out the soldiers were attacked and as a result they had the right to defend themselves. So the soldiers were perfectly entitled to shoot in self defense. FACT: providing its handled right and not it would probably benefit Israel to agree to some kind of inquiry without it we will get another Goldstone shambles where we didn't cooperate and try to put our own case forward so we were judged without Israel putting across its's side of the story properly.

I congratulate you, I honestly do, there is hope. There is hope.

First and foremost the responsibility for the military and diplomatic failure rests on the PM and DM and Chief of Staff. Take responsibility so that the nation can heal and move on. Then resign and let others with a brain take charge.

How could the Israeli Military admit such a bunch of anti-semites into its ranks. Clearly another intelligence failure that again demonstrates that everything Israel does or has ever done is moral and correct.

Finally, few humans in Israel are realizing what their country has sunk to ...

If any serious military planer of the similar operation thinks that he or she can predict all the eventualities, he or she are deluding themself. Military operations of that sort never going according to the plans. War is an ultimate chaos!

Let the truth be told