Does the fact that they baited them into it make Israel's response more justified? They illegally boarded a vessel in international waters and killed people. Depending on whose version of events you choose to believe the whole naval blockade of Gaza is illegal in the first place, does the fact that they were running an illegal blockade make the protesters actions more justified?
"They started it!" isn't really a well-reasoned response although you can bet it's the only line that either side will spout in the coming weeks.
Once again I'm not talking about justification and right and wrong here, I've realised that these values don't exist in this issue.
You have to realise what is going on here is not based on people just trying to do the right thing, look out for the down trodden or stand up for what is right. Everything you are seeing is of a strategic nature. Why do you think Erdogan came out of the blue and spat the dummy at Peres in Davos? Do you think he really gives a shit for the Gazans? Reality in the Arab world is that everyone fucking hates the Palestinians and won't touch them with a 10 foot pole. For evidence of that, take a look at how much money the other Arab states give to the Palestinians each year.
The flotilla was a very strategic move and left the Israelis no choice but to act.
First, AKP is pushing forward very aggressively to balance against an emerging Iran and the best way to do that is to vilify Israel. That gets the Arab street on board and as an extension the Arab states. To add to that nobody wants Iran to become the regional number one and Turkey is certainly a favourable alternative. So if they can stand up to the regional power - Israel - without getting sanction from the US then Turkey all of a sudden becomes VERY fucking formidable and a wonderful counter weight to Iran.
Second and the logical flow on from the first point; Israel is in the shit with the US. Washington asked ISrael to move forward on the Middle East peace plan in order to pacify the Muslim world for the time being. Obama desperately wants to GTFO of Iraq and Afghanistan and to do that he needs as much support from the other Arab/Islamic/M.E states as possible (Thinking KSA, Egypt, Turkey, etc.) and by removing the lightening rod - used by AQ - of Israeli expansion and Arab dispossession that job for the US becomes a little easier. However as I have explained above, getting a unified response from the Israeli state, especially one that goes against some of the more insular and extreme minorities that make up the coalitions is very hard to do. There is now a split in Israeli politics between those that only care about what goes on in the Holy Land and think that they can go isolationist and those that disagree with that position and know that they need to cooperate with outside powers or be crushed over time.
The split in Israel has created a split with the US. I mean when the fucking VP, Biden was there a few months ago they announced more building in East Jerusalem. Not only did they go against US request but they announced that they would 2 hours before Biden was supposed to have dinner with Netanyahu. Then look at the following meeting with Obama and Net, no photos, no wonderful statements of brotherhood, etc. Then when Ehud Barak was in Washington not later, the US President just happens to "drop by" on him and say hi. Barak then goes home to Israel spouting how important the US relationship is. That shows you where the split is in Israel. Likud needs the smaller parties like Shas and they are the militant groups that will not give in to US demands. Labor on the other hand are the pragmatists and are willing to be more flexible with domestic policy to satisfy foreign policy.
Lastly; the "enemies of Israel" are not blind to this at all. They see the split and are looking to wedge the fuck out of it. So they push this flotilla in and force Israel to act. keep in mind that the Palestinians are a risk to Israel's national security. Now forget all the superficial shit of "we were here first, this is our holy land, you force us in to violence and martyrism" because that is all surface noise that masks the reality of the situation. Similar to the battles in Chechnya/Norther Caucuses, Aceh, FARC and other nationalist insurgencies, the people at the head of the militant groups mostly aren't fighting for a belief they are fighting to become kings. As I said before, ISrael is trapped on a coastal plain, they are the hardest pieces of land to defend, save a land locked plain like Poland. So the Israelis want the hilly areas and all the borders to control the buffer lands. Mountains are your strategic depth, they are hard to attack and easy to defend. When your coast gets hit you pull back to the hills and harass the invaders until the benefit of staying becomes too much. Israel has zero strategic depth right now and their heart land is on the fucking coast. Horrible place to be when living on the Mediterranean (look how many expansionary powers there have been in the region over history that have wanted to control the Levant and the coast; Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Roman, Ottoman, British, French, etc.). Forget the whole biblical and spiritual shit that we hear from both sides as that is just noise from the extreme groups that are used by the powers for strategic goals. The reason why Israel fights is a matter of survival (and that means they don't give a shit about the poor palestinians, so try and see past the "justification argument because when you are fighting for strategic survival everything is justified and international law is the first redundancy you notice).
Also remember that the vast majority of Israeli top politicians are IDF and Mossad. They understand strategic survival and their education and experiences are fully based on that perspective. They are not the Zionists and spiritualists.
The Palestinians see the split in Israel and the split with the US (split forces = weakness) and they thought up a beautiful tactic to wedge it some more. AKP, who are on a big strategic push in the region are using the Palestinians for strategic gain and the Palestinians are using the Turks for tactical support.
They send these boats across and Israel either has to relinquish some control over an area that is imperative to strategic survival or they have to act in a way that will increase the split in Israel and invite sanction from the US. Notice how within hours of getting hit Turkey had already called for action in the UN? That is because this way the US won't be allowed to sit on the fence, they will have to do something. Go back and look how many times in the past that the US has supported action in the UN against Israel. Now, the US will be forced to choose between their traditional ally or the new rising power. Keep in mind that the US needs Turkey to move in to Iraq when they pull out in order to balance against Iran and that Turkey is also a potential balance against Russia in the Caucuses and Central Asia.
This was a very nice strategic move on the behalf of Turkey and the Palestinians. It increases political stasis and disunity in Israel and also potentially pushes the US away from Israel. Move back from what happened on the ground on the boats, that is not the game here and if you get bogged down in that shit and base your understanding on justification and law you will not be able to see what is actually going down.
Nobody, especially in this part of the world, gives a fuck for international law and what is right. It is all about survival through power.
