The invaluable Juan Cole
http://www.juancole.com/2010/06/egypts-lifting-of-the-blockade-likely-temporary.html#comments
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Curiously enough Isaiah Berlin who was a political theorist recruited by the Milner Round Table Group was scathing re-Arendt’s account of Soviet totalitarianism.
Berlin who was of Russian Jewish extraction himself said she knew
little re-the Soviet system.
Lest we forget it was the Soviet gulag system that provided the model for the
Nazi totalitarian system.
Er, Steelback, your irrational, blinkered antisemitism is showing. You know, if Jews are in control of (fill in the name) then Zionism has it in its clandestine web of control, bwah hah hah.
Puhlease.
Re: claims that IDF video is fake.
Actually, I don’t think it is fake at all.
1. In my opinion, it ties in well with some clips filmed on board by media just before comms were cut and viewable on youtube showing at least two soldiers getting a beating.
Although I would like to point out that the IDF video claims to show “demonstrators throwing soldier off of boat”. Whilst they do throw him off the side, he must land on the deck below as you can see he falls between the side and a lifeboat. http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk#p/a/D367B77C57326D3E/2/gYjkLUcbJWo
2. The metal awning supports you mention only cover the rear upper deck. The main upper deck is bare. This can be seen in the same video you cite. Look at the position of the life boat.
3. I recall other videos showing the sea being calm during the attack. The movement of the camera is more down to being handheld by an amateur.
4. The video infrared may look different to previous infrared filming but it does not look fake to me considering the Israelis must have access to the latest military spec stuff that we do not see footage from on a regular basis.
5. why the passengers attacked? If I was onboard with 600 others and saw soldiers coming down one by one from a helicopter at 4:30 in the morning I would see that they are very vulnerable at that moment. I would also be so furious that I would have a strong desire to attack them like human pinatas.
The attack was a viscious beating but not murderous. And in my view it was an appropriate response to a night-time assault by helicopter in international waters on a ship carrying civilians and supplies to alleviate “an illegal, inhuman and insane medieval siege on Gaza.” Quote by the director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, John Ging.
I visited Israel about 5 years ago to visit a friend on a Kibbutz.
I must say I found your normal every day Israeli to be friendly, and open about the situation both sides find themselves in,compare the present Palestine/Israeli situation to the UK/IRA times was the comparison most quoted to me.
Though I found most military people I met f*&$**g nuts. Must be the training they recieve…..