[Blasted Child]

I agree that in the conflict between the Isreali government and Hamas, there is a huge grey area - i.e. both parties are to blame and Hamas is far from innocent. I honestly have no clue how that conflict will ever resolve.

But in the case with this aid flotilla I'm less inclined to point fingers at the volonteers. So what if they kept some slingshots and clubs on board? They were on international waters, they should be free to defend themselves if they suddenly get boarded by armed forces.
And besides, most of the passengers weren't Turkish bullies - a great deal were ordinary European charity workers, even families, and the main objective with the operation was after all to supply Gaza with food and medicine.

Gaza is in dire need of supplies, and Israel is both strict and highly random when it comes to what goods they may actually receive - sometimes wood is forbidden, sometimes pasta.

I think it's important to once again stress that the ships were not trespassing on Isreali territory. They consider the blockade unlawful, and therefor do not respect it. Israel for some reasons consider it their right to not only block a certain strip of foreign land from outside help, but to control the entire body of water outside it and use military force to board ships and detain their passengers.

This is extra unfortunate because it will only make Hamas less inclined to work on the peace process. With all the negative publicity Israel is getting due to this, Palestinian extremists suddenly got a lot more leeway.