I have no massively strong feelings for either side in the ongoing Israeli – Palestinian dispute, whilst I accept that the Palestinians feel that Israel are occupying their homeland I also see that with historical evidence it would appear that the Israelis were in deed their first.
Having no strong ties to either side I look at each thing that happens through a very pragmatic eye, therefore when Israel gets shelled and returns fire I would not condemn Israel after all the primary task of every government around the world should be the protection of its citizens.
However where Israel does get it wrong is when they start to feel that they are above international law, or can act in the same way as their opponents, unfortunately when you are a state you can not act the same way. This would be like had America in 2002 flown a fleet of planes over every Muslim country in the world and destroyed every large building, indiscriminate of military or terrorist targets. Clearly this would have eroded any sympathy that the US experienced.
For me Israel are heading the same way, first they assassinated a Hamas commander, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, on foreign soil using forged foreign passports and now they have boarded a ship in international waters. From these acts I have to say that Israel have gone too far. Had they arrested the Hamas commander and placed him to stand trial and as a result executed him, it would not have bothered me. (Although I am against capital punishment, if that is the law where the crimes are committed it should be the punishment.) And had they boarded this ship in Israeli waters, again not a problem and every states right to protect their borders, but if Israel continue to sink to the terrorists levels they will soon find themselves very unpopular in the international community. I think although they will excuse a lot even the US – Israel special relationship has limits.
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