The Gaza boat raid was a cock-up and Israel should apologise

I am a supporter of Israel and her right to defend herself from those countries and individuals who would rather she was destroyed and her people driven into the sea. But the raid on the "Free Gaza" ship was poorly planned and executed and lives were lost unnecessarily.

It is worth remembering that Israel has been surrounded throughout her existence by countries who have wanted to attack and destroy her. The Gaza Strip has been the launch point for many attacks and arms have been (and probably still are) smuggled to Gaza to be used to kill Israeli civilians, in this context the naval blockade is understandable.

The "Free Gaza" shipment wasn't just about getting aid to Gaza, that could have been achieved without trying to run the blockade, it was also about getting headlines. To that end a confrontation was almost inevitable and the IDF should have born that in mind during their planning.

From what I have seen, which like most people is far from the complete picture, the IDF acted too hastily, with a poorly thought through plan which was itself poorly executed. The mission started to fall apart as soon as the first commando set foot on deck. Confusion, darkness and violent crowds are not a good mix and once the first firearm was discharged the confusion was added to.

Some people have claimed that the IDF wanted to inflict casualties as part of the plan, I think this is rubbish, the first troops would not have come on board armed with paint-ball guns if that was the case. I believe the IDF's intentions were clear and reasonable, but the underestimated the threat and then over reacted to a botched plan.

Israel should not apologise for the blockade, they should not apologise for taking steps to defend themselves but they should apologise for allowing the situation to get out of control, letting it escalate and for causing the loss of life through a confrontation which could, and should, have been better handled.