Have a look at:
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177187

http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/6044639/peace-convoy-this-was-an-islamist-terror-ambush.thtml

Close up of the violence upon Israeli Soldiers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64vsq8eHps0&feature=related

Dear Foxy,

Sharing the homeland means sharing it. It does not mean dividing it up into two countries, Israel and an independent Palestinian state which can be at each other's throats. The hatreds will only fester if each side is behind a national boundary. Dividing the two peoples up by a national boundary is not better than dividing them up by a concrete wall.

Sharing the homeland to me means creating one country which does not discriminate among its citizens on the basis of religion and ethnicity. It means separation of religion and state. If parents want to segregate their children from those of a different religion and ethnicity they can pay the cost - not as Australia where government finances religious schools.

Sharing the country means learning to live together. The Zulus and the Afrikaners in South Africa both wanted to separate from the rest of South Africa after the apartheid government was overthrown. Neither were allowed the self-determination which would have fragmented the country, and the various peoples of South Africa are learning to live together. I believe the same thing applies to Israel/Palestine. They have to learn to live together, and that means sharing, going to school together, working together and living together under a government that does not discriminate among its citizens.

That does not seem immediately feasible, but I think it is a much more worthwhile goal than fragmentation which can lead to future conflict.

Dear Custard,

Of course we can agree!

I totally support an objective
international inquiry into the incident.
One which will be acceptable to everyone.
As I've said umpteen times - and as Antony
Loewenstein stresses in his book, "My
Israel Question,"
"Neither side has a monopoly on suffering,
but only one party has the power to end
the occupation and to recognise that Israel
and Palestine are historically destined to
share the same homeland."

Dear David F.,

Of course sharing the same homeland is the
best outcome. With safety and security
for ALL of its citizens.
And Israel has the power to
end the occupation and do precisely that.
However as Amira Hass argues:

"Average Israelis care little about Israeli
expansionism, violation of international law,
and the human rights and wefare of the
Palestinians. 'They simply want them to live
elsewhere.' The delusion that underpins the
Israeli government's plan reveals a deep-seated
Zionist perspective, despite the rhetoric
suggesting that Israel has abandoned decades
of settlement expansion. The Israeli government
talks as if the Palestinians should be grateful
for the scraps of land and rights their government
is offering, rather than understanding their
justified rejection."

In all of this, the news media plays a crucial role,
since they are the major conduit for the debate.

As Loewenstein tells us:
(And, the whole point of his book) -

"It is time for a radical re-thinking of the conflict."

Philo,let's wait until all the evidence is revealed.Some eye witnesses are saying Israel was firing from the choppers before they boarded the ship.

We are only getting the evidence that Israel allows to be aired.They blocked all communications before and during this event.There is much more to than meets the eye.

This is all very interesting but I was trying to find out what people think the future holds in respect of more boats heading to Gaza.

It is obvious this was a blow to Israel irrespective of who was to blame, in the wrong etc. The flotilla organisers have already said they have 2 more boats ready to go plus the Rachel Corrie already almost there.

What can Israel do and how will the world react to their actions?
This time only a few turks died but what if next time its an Aussie journalist or an Irish grandmother or a holocaust survivor?