Assault of the “Gaza Flotilla”: the Israeli army film does not hold water

(BRUSSELS2)"Israeli forces intercepted six ships attempting to breach the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, dismissing warnings given by the Navy prior to this interception. They also ignored the invitation to dock at the port of Ashdod to transfer humanitarian materials using Israeli means. On five of the six ships in the flotilla, the soldiers encountered no resistance from the passengers. And the ships brought to the port of Ashdod. In the sixth, the Mavi Mamara, Israeli soldiers were attacked with pistols, stun grenades, knives and clubs. The demonstrators stole two pistols from the soldiers and fired at them. Two soldiers were injured with these firearms and a third stabbed with a knife. In all seven soldiers were injured. 4 are considered in moderate condition, one is slightly injured and two others have been released from the hospital". Here in a few sentences the version of the Israeli forces of the assault on the Mavi Marmara. Which attach supporting images.

Images to be taken with caution, however. Because they show neither the before nor the after, nor what is happening around. They contrast sharply with the images broadcast by Turkish and Arab channels and the versions of the passengers. Between two completely different versions of the facts, it is therefore important to know quickly what happened. And the reaction of the EU, which demands, above all, a impartial investigation on the events is to be welcomed

A triple failure resounding

We can list the errors of the operation which will be a milestone in the history of the Israeli army. Without going into the legal debate of a civilian ship taken in international waters by military forces, one cannot, in fact, but be struck by the overflow and the military and political unpreparedness of this operation. And the official Israeli version - if maintained - is as dangerous for Israel as the facts themselves because they reveal three types of errors: the misuse of military means, the incompetence of its army, the arrest of citizens of other countries.

First of all, the balance sheet attests to this, the use of force was "totally" unbalanced. The use of military forces - probably not trained for the maintenance of order - was undoubtedly the "initial error". The use of live ammunition did the rest. Whatever the "attacks" to which Israeli soldiers have been subjected, the toll is devastating: 9 dead and several dozen wounded on one side (passengers) and 7 wounded on the other (none of whom are in danger). Which is largely indicative of a disproportionate use of force.

Then, if we believe the official version, that commandos manage to get two pistols taken by civilians armed with knives and iron bars can cast doubt on the military competence of the Israeli assault forces. That the Israeli forces were not "aware" of what awaited them on the Mavi Marmara would reveal the incompetence of its intelligence services. However, a sense of the offensive, special forces and intelligence services have always been one of the keys to the reputation and success of the Israeli army in the region.

Finally, the issue is not Palestinian citizens or "belligerent" Arab neighbors as usual, but citizens of other countries, particularly European ones. The fact that Turks, Irish, Germans, British... find themselves "victims" of this military assault, then "transferred" to Israel (when they were in international waters), and for some "imprisoned, propels the Middle Eastern conflict in the European arena. We can no longer ignore it. And in this part, Israel no longer appears as a country undergoing threats but as a country exporting "threats". Hamas can thus claim victory This indelible trace in public opinion will make it difficult from now on in all international relations with the Jewish state.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)