This Was Not a Peace Ship

There’s really no doubt now that the so-called peace ship heading to Gaza was bent on killing Israelis. The videos make it clear that the Israeli soldiers were attacked immediately upon boarding the ship for an inspection. It’s also now known that a large number of the 700 passengers were connected with Islamic jihadist groups known for terrorism. Some even had ties to Al Qaeda.

The cartoonists have caught on to the truth:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rightly defends the actions of his troops. In a statement yesterday, Netanyahu was firm in his stance on self-defense.

“Israel regrets the loss of life,” Netanyahu said, “but we will never apologize for defending ourselves.” He added, “This wasn’t a love boat. This was a hate boat.” In a comment aimed at the United Nations, he declared, “I regret to say for many in the international community, no evidence is needed. Israel is guilty until proven guilty.”

The Israeli prime minister noted that the troops had boarded five other ships prior to this one, and there was no violence reported on any of them. But on the sixth one, “They were met with a vicious mob. They were stabbed. They were clubbed. They were fired upon. The attackers had prepared their violent action in advance. . . . These weren’t pacifists. They weren’t peace activists. These were violent supporters of terrorism.”

While the U.S. hasn’t joined in a full-fledged endorsement of the U.N.’s condemnation of Israel, it hasn’t exactly distinguished itself in its support of Israel’s right of self-defense. For the first time since the presidency of Jimmy Carter—but more forthrightly—we have an administration whose natural sympathies are with those who foment the violence. Anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head in the nation that should be in the forefront of support for the Jewish state.