MAVI MARMARA FREE GAZA FLOTILLA, ISRAEL TOOK A POISONED BAIT?

Icheoku says, Israel should not have taken the bait of the 'Mavi Marmara Free Gaza Flotilla' ship, as the organizers wanted to provoke an international incident and they succeeded. Their desired outcome was achieved, courtesy of a not so clearly thinking Israel command structure that authorized a lethal force under the circumstance? It is all about who the bad guy is, and in this situation, Palestines are looking more saintly than the Israelis? Hopefully the matter will be corralled before it turns into a major international crisis capable of plunging the entire Middle East into a large conflagration.

It was an over-reaction for the Israeli commandos to rappel down unto an unarmed civilian ship on the high-seas; instead of waiting for it to dock and then board it for necessary inspection and possible seizure if it is warranted? Also it was ill-advised to open fire on innocent activists no matter the provocation or any an alleged self-defense; they should have instead retreated? Their action now depicts the Israelis as blood-thirsty and agent-provocateurs in the conflict with Palestine. Simply put, no reasonable person gives his enemy a noose with which to hang him and Israel just did that by this avoidable bloody raid on Mavi Marmara activist ship wherein 19 people lost their lives?

In this latest skirmish, a continuum of the ongoing conflict with Palestine, Israel lost heavily in the department of public relations and propaganda within the international community? Israel must act fast to repair this self-inflicted damage, apology, pay compensation and lift the siege over Gaza immediately to help douse the tension which will definitely progressively get worse. Like many unbiased minds and student of the Middle East Israeli/Palestine conflict, who have been religiously following the conflict, this incident will be fully exploited by the Palestine and their Arab/Muslim brothers and drive all mileages therefrom to the end of the earth. Like Geobbels, propaganda minister of Adolf Hitler once said, 'publicity and propaganda are the two main instruments of warfare; and Geobbel was again right. But a decisive resolution must be reached; except that Rahm Emmanuel and David Axelrod necessarily have a dog in the fight and by extension, President Obama is sort of boxed in?

Anyway, quoting Rodney King, Icheoku says, why can't Israelis and Palestines all just get along together since it is more costly to wage war than to make peace? Enough of putting the rest of the world in such a difficult position where they are forced to take sides in a conflict between two brothers which has ranged on since Genesis. Let there be peace in the Middle East and let the blood of these innocent peace activists be the fertilizer that will nourish that peace. Our condolences to those lost activists in the Mavi Marmara Free Gaza Flotilla!