In reaction to Israel's attack on a humanitarian ship, which resulted in the death of 19 lives, Professor Norman Finkelstein described Israel as a "lunatic state" in an interview with Russia Today.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel's act "state terrorism." At the United Nations, Turkey's Foreign Minister pressured the international community to take strong action against Israel, saying "No state is above the law." Turkey also said that future Gaza humanitarian aid ships will travel with military escorts.
Reactions From Around The Web
Glenn Greenwald:
"On a day when the meaning of "heroism" is often discussed, the people on these ships who tried to deliver aid to Gazans, knowing that they could easily find themselves in a confrontation with the Israeli Navy but doing it anyway in order to bring attention to the extraordinary injustice and cruelty of the blockade, are pure, unadulterated heroes."
Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed:
"Under Netanyahu, the IDF has become increasingly unhinged. Utterly incapable of grasping that its war crimes and crimes against humanity can no longer simply be dressed up as a fight against terrorists, when terror itself is a primary instrument of statecraft. Completely incapable of self-reflection or self-critique. Pathetically incapable of putting to rest the 'final solution' of the knee-jerk trigger-finger."
Sean Paul Kelley:
"Israelis were afraid of slingshots and marbles, really? Where are the guns? Where are the knives? This is turning into an outright PR catastrophe for Israel, and deservedly so. What would have happened had the Israelis killed the 86 year-old Holocaust survivor or the Nobel Peace Prize winner in the flotilla?"
Marwan Bishara:
"The emergence of a civic 'international community' committed to taking action to break the siege of Gaza comes as a result of the incapacity of the official 'international community' to do more than issue UN resolutions and condemnations.
Israel's worst nightmare is becoming a reality. The civic 'international community' is organising much as it did against Apartheid South Africa."
Jeffrey Kaye:"The world should condemn this criminal attack by Israeli commandos on the peace flotilla bringing humanitarian supplies to Gaza, and should defend those who in self-defense protected themselves against the military assault. Israeli must release everyone they are holding in custody from the flotilla now. Let the flotilla be freed to continue its mission."
Paul Craig Roberts:
"No one in the world will believe that Israel attacked ships in international waters carrying Israeli citizens, a Nobel Laureate, elected politicians, and noted humanitarians bringing medicines and building materials to Palestinians in Gaza, who have been living in the rubble of their homes without repairs or medicines since January 2009, without first clearing the crime with its American protector. Without America's protection, Israel, a totally artificial state, could not exist."
Ray McGovern:
"Important players in the Middle East, as well as increasingly assertive countries like Turkey and Brazil, conclude that the policies and behavior of Tel Aviv and Washington are virtually identical.
And then there is the $3 billion or so that the United States gives Israel each year that enables the Israelis to arm themselves to the teeth. It is understandable, then, that many will blame Washington for what happened in the dark of night, on the eve of Memorial Day, on the high seas."
Craig Murray:"In two and a half hours of coverage BBC News has interviewed the Israeli government spokesman and covered live an Israeli government press conference, while reporters have set out at length the Israeli government view of events nine times. There has been no attempt to interview anyone from the convoy organisers, from the Turkish government, or from the Palestinians, and no expression of scepticism or even reserve by any reporter about the Israeli version of events.
A BBC journalist has stated - quite wrongly - that the blockade of Gaza is legal, and there has been no mention of the fact that it is illegal to board a foreign ship in international waters."
