While I'm glad some footage got out, this really doesn't answer the major questions, i.e., why were these men shot? What threat did they pose?

Still, did you notice all the people with cameras? And yet this is the only footage to make it past the Israelis? And Israel still refuses requests for any international inquiry into this incident.

Thank you for sharing this footage.

Notice how the dopey Westerner considered everyone there "soldiers".. sigh.

@Pprt If they are breaking a military blockade, then they are pretty close to soldiers, wouldn't you say?

I'm having some trouble with the timing of the things - it looks like they were shot before the IDF got there, which is weird. It's a great big mess down there, but the people on the flotilla could have expected something like this, when they break the blockade, even if their intentions may be good and honorable.

@gwiz665 The Gaza Blockade is illegal and the flotilla attack was done in International waters. Because the blockade of Gaza itself violates international law, Israel committed an illegal act of war attacking the convoy, regardless of who attacked whom first.

>> ^gwiz665:

@<a rel="nofollow" href="http://videosift.com/member/Pprt" title="member since April 8th, 2008" class="profilelink">Pprt If they are breaking a military blockade, then they are pretty close to soldiers, wouldn't you say?
I'm having some trouble with the timing of the things - it looks like they were shot before the IDF got there, which is weird. It's a great big mess down there, but the people on the flotilla could have expected something like this, when they break the blockade, even if their intentions may be good and honorable.

@gwiz665

Then why use the pretext of "aid"? Why not say they were going there for battle.

@theali

More about the legal situation here... from Reuters, surpisingly.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65133D20100602

By the way, here is how you should react when your ship is boarded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRzQNsumRRU

@Pprt Well, that's an easy one - sympathy. If they said "we're going there to provide weapons" or something similar, the boat would have been leveled and no one would be taking their side - or far fewer at least. It is conspicuous that we got all that video from the one boat, when it was an entire flotilla (I think people have been playing too much Mass Effect, why not just call it a fleet?). I'm am also suspicious of the video black-out on the Israeli side, of course, they would do far better by playing with open cards, but then so would the US and that's just not gonna happen.

@theali Illegal? What law covers that? "International law" only covers the people who have agreed to it or those who wish to make friends with those who follow it. If I make a "law" that you can't smoke in my house and you still do, I can throw you out - but if I make a law that no smoking can be done anywhere, no one is going to follow it - and they shouldn't, unless they want to be on good terms with me.

Attacking in international waters was indeed a bad move and it's already cost Israel bucket loads of goodwill, although technically the Mediterranean is not "International Waters" (only the Barcelona Convention covers it and that's only for environmental issues.), since the borders are right up to each other - I don't know who has jurisdiction where the attack happened, though.

An illegal act of war - well, depending on who's laws and really, the war was there already. They've been fighting since Israel was made and before.

My point is still, the people on the flotilla should, and likely did, see it coming and they went ahead anyway. If they want to run into the wall, the wall does not carry the sole responsibility when they get hurt.

Anyway, great big mess. It's not going to end until people stop thinking the land is holy - as always, religion is to blame.

@Pprt From the comment section of the article you posted:
1. Gaza by International Law is an occupied territory – neither a territory nor a state.
2. Even if it was a state, you would need to declare a state of war or belligerence. Neither were declared or made by the Israeli government.
3. In the absence of a declaration of war or a state of belligerence, the action of Israel is considered civil… that it is the persons who organized the raid, and those who took part in it are subject to the International Maritime Law… just the same as most of Israel politicians are subject to common criminal laws in Europe, today, for example.

>> ^Pprt:
By the way, here is how you should react when your ship is boarded:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRzQNsumRRU


I've got a feeling some Israeli ships are going to be boarded in the not too distant future.

We'll see if you whistle the same tune when that comes to pass.

Pprt: Thank you for sharing this footage.

Notice how the dopey Westerner considered everyone there "soldiers".. sigh.

I think, and I could be wrong on this, that the Westerner is talking about the two Israeli commandos that were incapacitated in the first attempt to board the vessel. I only think this because we see the blood on the hatchway early on in the video.