Netanyahu: Hippies wrested guns from crack Israeli commandos :|

A Canadian news site:

Conflicting reports of what happened emerged from the military and the activists riding in the flotilla.
The Israeli government said that when commandos landed on the ships, they were attacked with sticks, knives and hit with gunfire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the soldiers had no choice but to defend themselves.
“They had to defend themselves, defend their lives, or they would have been killed,” he said.
The army said five soldiers were injured in the raid, including two who were shot with pistols seized from Israeli forces.

:| So you expect us to believe that these super elite, maximally trained, crack Israeli commandos boarded a hippie ship, had their pistols stolen, and then were fired at?
Who were on these flotillas anyway? Jackie Chan? Robot ninjas? Geez.

I’m more inclined to this version myself, from the same article:

But an Al-Jazeera reporter said Israel fired upon one of the ships before boarding, and that the ship’s captain was wounded.
Adam Shapiro, a member of the Free Gaza movement, a Pro-Palestinian group that helped organize the flotilla, said the Israeli military video may have started after soldiers opened fire. Organizers of the flotilla also had a live feed broadcasted online.
“The Israelis have not indicated at what point in time they are showing their soldiers being hit. We know from our own live feed … that the initial soldiers who came aboard the ship opened fire immediately upon coming on the ship, and by the time anybody picked up a club there was already one dead, many injured.”
He also said activists aboard the ships had only been trained in non-violent resistance.
“We have to prepare them to face Israeli soldiers who will use violence against them,” he said.

Netanyahu seems to be going into ‘defending the indefensible’ mode (perhaps he is getting bad PR advice, ahem).
Note that the whole incident occurred in international waters, making it totally unjustifiable not only in moral, but also legal terms.
Our thoughts with all those on the Flotilla, and especially in the protests today, the Malaysians who stand with them.