It Was Not ‘Violence-Violence’
Posted on | May 31, 2010 | 92 Comments
by Smitty (via Memeorandum)
Andrew Sullivan treats us to the Full Whoopi in relating the IDF raid on the Gaza flotilla, emphasis mine:
A simple point. The violence by the activists is pretty abhorrent. These are not followers of Gandhi or MLK Jr. But the violence is not fatal to anyone and it is in response to a dawn commando raid by armed soldiers. They are engaging in self-defense. More to the point: they are civilians confronting one of the best militaries in the world. They killed no soldiers; their weapons were improvised; the death toll in the fight is now deemed to be up to 19 – all civilians.
It staggers me to read defenses of what the Israelis have done. They attacked a civilian flotilla in international waters breaking no law. When they met fierce if asymmetric resistance, they opened fire. And we are now being asked to regard the Israelis as the victims.
Look, since 2007 there has been a blockade, blockhead. These have gone on long enough for an Internet to develop a Wikipedia and have its own page. When you know there is a blockade in place, you sort of expect the blockader to have a vested interest in interdicting cargo. Legitimate humanitarian aid should get through, or else reasonable people should join nitwits like yourself in the “That’s Uncool” chorus.
Via Knowledge Is Power comes a clip from idfnadesk indicating Flotilla Ship Mavi Marmara may have been packing more than band-aids and rubbing alcohol:But, hey: don’t let the context of being surrounded by people that literally want your blood upset your narrative, Andrew.
The attempt at some proportionality argument ignores the reports that the IDF went in without assault rifles. Had the IDF slaughtered half the Mavi Marmara crew outright, you may actually have an argument. But the evidence seems to indicate they did not. The a priori judgment that Israel is always wrong utterly pollutes your mind, Sullivan. They ceased to be civilians when they engaged the IDF in close combat.
Furthermore, the problem was limited to one boat in the flotilla. Do you think that, maybe, just maybe, the Mavi Marmara carried more than M-and-M’s?
One nearly approaches a sort of academic curiosity, wondering what it would take to bring an Andrew Sullivan sort of character into reality. Just before becoming a full thought, the whole venture drowns in a puddle of contempt. I actually have more respect for the personal courage of Whoopi Goldberg than that of Andrew Sullivan; she’s a tough lady.
Update: Insta-lanche!
Update II: As far as I can tell, the two Andrew Sullivan comments are authentic.


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