I find the response of the protesters/provocateurs on the first ship an absolute mystery. I have no idea why they attacked the Israeli boarders, probably some idiotic radical endeavour to fight the power or something. Once the situation escalated to the point where Israeli soldiers' weapons were being stolen and used against them, I feel, based on the reports, that the Israeli response was justified.
This is not where the operation went wrong, however.
It went wrong when the Israelis, once again, blundered into an obvious public relations trap. The convoy was nothing but a political stunt meant to test the resolve of the Israelis and unfortunately, Israel took the bait once again.
It's pretty apparent now that the ships didn't have sophisticated weaponry on board intended for the military aid of Hamas. There was no reason to risk the lives of their soldiers and those on board on a gung-ho operation that could only go wrong for Israel and benefit Hamas.
Israel has always perceived an existential threat when forming it's defense policy. In the past, this was only truly realized when Israel was at war with either insurgents or enemy states. However, since the Second Intifada, Israel has seemingly become unable to see it's true enemy. There is no doubt that ham-handed operations, like this one, put their citizens more at risk.
Look at what is going to happen now. Turkey and the EU, two key trade allies to Israel, are backing off BIG TIME. The USA's relationship has become so soured that Netanyahu cancelled his meeting with Obama in the wake of this tragedy.
As a supporter of Israel, I have to call them to a higher standard. They are putting their own existence at risk while the real enemies here, Islamic radicals and their Western relativist allies, gain victories by barely raising a finger.
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