I can’t resist.
The minute I saw this photo, I felt that it might be doctored:
The knife looks completely fake. It looks like a photoshop job to me. What if this guy, on board the Mavi Marmara, were really only shaking his fist? Would this be fair?
Besides, How would he have gotten this long sharp weapon on board? How would he have been able to keep it, once he flashed it like this? Nobody around him objected??
It’s only too easy to do this, in all-out ideological war.
UPDATE: I just saw this now (10 June) — see how Ali Abunimah treated this here and here, and how Max Blumenthal blogged it here.
Now, look at this other photo — also published in Haaretz:
It would be so easy to do the same…
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Meanwhile, at today’s regular Sunday meeting of the Israeli cabinet, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyanu told government ministers that: “We must not be confused. Regarding yesterday’s ship [the MV Rachel Corrie] and five of the six ships [but not the Mavi Marmara] in the previous flotilla, this process ended without casualties or untoward incidents. Only on one ship, on which dozens of thugs from a terrorist organization – or, to be more precise, an extremist, terrorism-supporting organization – had prepared in advance, armed with axes, knives and other ‘cold’ weapons were our soldiers compelled to defend themselves against a tangible danger to their lives. According to the information currently in our possession, this group boarded separately in a different city, organized separately, equipped itself separately and went on deck under different procedures. In effect, they underwent no checks. The clear intent of this hostile group was to initiate a violent clash with IDF soldiers. This truth is gradually spreading around the world. It must be understood that this was not a unique incident. This is a continuous process that enemies of Israel have been orchestrating for years in order to deny Israel’s right to defend itself. It began in 2001, with an attempt to arrest Israeli officers abroad and continued in 2004, with similar attempts. Then there was the Goldstone report, which was born after Operation Cast Lead. This process continues today with the attempt to prevent Israel from stopping the smuggling of missiles and rockets into Gaza. I would like to emphasize: We will not allow the establishment of an Iranian port in Gaza. We will not allow the free flow of war materiel and contraband to Hamas. On the other hand, we have no desire to make things difficult for the civilian population in Gaza. We would like for goods that are neither war materiel nor contraband to enter Gaza. Thus we have acted in this case as well”.