Justified?

[Odds]

Sorry, getting my dates and affairs mixed up.
The ship was the Karine A, and the issue was called the Karine A affair.

Karine A affair - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

But this is very much a version in hindsight, and with a distinct anti Palestine slant. Most of those details were not available at the time, and may have been 'doctored' for 'effect'.
The issue was designed to scupper the impending peace agreement between Arafat and Sharon.
Arafat denied all knowledge of the affair, and claimed an Israeli set-up. Bush chose to not believe him.
The impending peace deal fell apart.
Again Bush was more concerned with invading Iraq than any possible peace deal between israel and Palestine.

Also, USA designated Hamas as terrorist in 1997, according to ths account:

Foreign Terrorist Organizations - United States Department of State

Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) are foreign organizations that are designated by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended. FTO designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means...

www.state.gov

Prior investigation had revealed that the captain of the vessel was Colonel Omar Akawi, a Fatah activist since 1976 and former member of the Palestinian Authority. According to Lloyd's List, which tracks worldwide shipping records, the ship was purchased on August 31, 2001 from a Lebanese company by the Palestinian Authority, under the name of Adel Mughrabi. The alleged purchaser of the weapons, Mughrabi (aka Adel Salameh), was a former member of Yassir Arafat's staff until the early 1980s "when he was dismissed for conducting private business which conflicted with his official status".

The ship was then sailed to Sudan, where it was loaded with regular cargo and the crew was switched with Palestinian Authority personnel. It was renamed from Rim K to Karine A when it was registered in Tonga on September 12. During November 2001, they sailed to the Hodeida port in Yemen. Afterwards, the ship was loaded with weapons by the Iranians and the Hezbollah; while in transit, it was manned by personnel of the Palestinian Authority. The objective was to transport the weapons to the Palestinian Naval Police near the Gaza beaches.

Major General Yedidya Ya'ari, the commander of the Israeli Navy, reported that the weapons and equipment were packed in 83 crates, in waterproof plastic and attached to buoys, to permit their drop-off and retrieval at sea.

Shipments to Ireland for the Republican Army were sent on in similar fashion.

 

[Odds]

A Palestinian official has told Reuters that despite a willingness on both sides to prolong the truce, no agreement had yet been reached. Discussions were still under way with mediators Egypt and Qatar, the official said.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment to Rueters on the state of any talks but noted that an extra 50 Palestinian female detainees had been added on Tuesday to a list cleared to be released in case a new swap was agreed.


If they can keep tacking on an additional two days to the truce maybe someone can talk some sense into Netanyahoo's ear before sending the IDF rampaging through Southern Gaza; although gunboats have been shelling the south throughout the day, so i'm not sure how this truce is supposed to work out - didn't anyone inform the Navy?

 

[gant]

Perhaps you'd like to write my responses for me?

I couldn't pull it off like himmy, dazzler, walking with turkeys, scarlet pimpernel, Pat ex, red herring etc etc could, now there was an authenticity about them you couldn't differentiate between them.

 

[Roy Bloom]

Prior investigation had revealed that the captain of the vessel was Colonel Omar Akawi, a Fatah activist since 1976 and former member of the Palestinian Authority. According to Lloyd's List, which tracks worldwide shipping records, the ship was purchased on August 31, 2001 from a Lebanese company by the Palestinian Authority, under the name of Adel Mughrabi. The alleged purchaser of the weapons, Mughrabi (aka Adel Salameh), was a former member of Yassir Arafat's staff until the early 1980s "when he was dismissed for conducting private business which conflicted with his official status".

The ship was then sailed to Sudan, where it was loaded with regular cargo and the crew was switched with Palestinian Authority personnel. It was renamed from Rim K to Karine A when it was registered in Tonga on September 12. During November 2001, they sailed to the Hodeida port in Yemen. Afterwards, the ship was loaded with weapons by the Iranians and the Hezbollah; while in transit, it was manned by personnel of the Palestinian Authority. The objective was to transport the weapons to the Palestinian Naval Police near the Gaza beaches.

Major General Yedidya Ya'ari, the commander of the Israeli Navy, reported that the weapons and equipment were packed in 83 crates, in waterproof plastic and attached to buoys, to permit their drop-off and retrieval at sea.

Shipments to Ireland for the Republican Army were sent on in similar fashion.

I know, I read it,
Arafat claimed it was an Israeli set-up.
That was very credible at the time because Sharon was between a rock and a hard place.
And Bush was more concerned with invading Iraq, and wanted other Arab nations to not become involved.
At the time (2005) there was no reports nor evidence of any Palestinian involvement. All those details has been added in hindsight.

 

[Roy Bloom]

I couldn't pull it off like himmy, dazzler, walking with turkeys, scarlet pimpernel, Pat ex, red herring etc etc could, now there was an authenticity about them you couldn't differentiate between them.

You still more concerned with presentation than content?
And talking about me, rather then the topic of the thread?

 

[gant]

Lol.
Show pony is perturbed his showboating is taking precedence over his bellyaching.

 

[Roy Bloom]

Lol.

You only did that becasue you know how much it annoys me.

 

[Odds]

I know, I read it,
Arafat claimed it was an Israeli set-up.
That was very credible at the time because Sharon was between a rock and a hard place.
And Bush was more concerned with invading Iraq, and wanted other Arab nations to not become involved.
At the time (2005) there was no reports nor evidence of any Palestinian involvement. All those details has been added in hindsight.

History is not set in stone and researchers have access to more evidence and information these days with an ability to cross reference data through computer databases that were just not available to the same degree in the 20th century.
America sold Vietnam to the American public on the strength of a whopping great fib about the Gulf of Tonkin - and the jury is still debating the remarkable series of coincidences surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Claims made by Arafat at the time still sounded like humbug, despite the political problems Ariel Sharon faced in trying to negotiate a deal to satisfy all factions: in truth, one side or the other would still have found a pretext to start a war.

 

[fillyboy]

If they can keep tacking on an additional two days to the truce maybe someone can talk some sense into Netanyahoo's ear before sending the IDF rampaging through Southern Gaza; although gunboats have been shelling the south throughout the day, so i'm not sure how this truce is supposed to work out - didn't anyone inform the Navy?

Can't find any news on the Israeli gunboats breaking the ceasefire, any chance of a link?

 

[fillyboy]

 

[Odds]

Can't find any news on the Israeli gunboats breaking the ceasefire, any chance of a link?

It was a blurb in the live feed @Al Jazeera but i haven't seen any other news about the incident - maybe taking a few potshots at fishing boats to relieve the boredom?

 

[Roy Bloom]

It was a blurb in the live feed @Al Jazeera but i haven't seen any other news about the incident - maybe taking a few potshots at fishing boats to relieve the boredom?

One of the big problems with this Israeli-Palestine conflict, on this occasion and other occasions, is the media feed is mostly controlled by Israel.
For instance, all the reports are about Hamas releasing hostages. Israel has been taking hostages for decades, with about 7,000 Palestinian prisoners, many women and children, many kept without charge.
Even during this conflict Israel as been taking hostages from the West Bank, and during this four day truce.
They've now taken as many new prisoners as they have released in the prisoner exchange.
But as always 'words' matter. Israelis are 'hostages', whereas Palestinians are 'prisoners'.
Words matter in media reports.
An Israeli death is described as a result of a Hamas inspired terror incident. Palestinian deaths are described as collateral damage and blamed on Hamas.

 

[fillyboy]

One of the big problems with this Israeli-Palestine conflict, on this occasion and other occasions, is the media feed is mostly controlled by Israel.
For instance, all the reports are about Hamas releasing hostages. Israel has been taking hostages for decades, with about 7,000 Palestinian prisoners, many women and children, many kept without charge.
Even during this conflict Israel as been taking hostages from the West Bank, and during this four day truce.
They've now taken as many new prisoners as they have released in the prisoner exchange.
But as always 'words' matter. Israelis are 'hostages', whereas Palestinians are 'prisoners'.
Words matter in media reports.
An Israeli death is described as a result of a Hamas inspired terror incident. Palestinian deaths are described as collateral damage and blamed on Hamas.

 

[Odds]

One of the big problems with this Israeli-Palestine conflict, on this occasion and other occasions, is the media feed is mostly controlled by Israel.
Even during this conflict Israel as been taking hostages from the West Bank, and during this four day truce.
But as always 'words' matter. Israelis are 'hostages', whereas Palestinians are 'prisoners'.
Words matter in media reports.

They do indeed. Although Al Jazz is based in Qatar it offers a useful perspective not often taken by the BBC or Sky - but, to be fair, a BeeB minion did a piece to camera illustrating the extent of damage done by the IDF in Northern Gaza. Truly shocking. Whole neighbourhoods flattened to smithereens. A park* turned into a defensive position for tanks and a military control centre marked out in the dirt with a huge Star of David.
Fingers crossed they can keep this ceasefire going to release all the hostages and bring an end to this latest phase of Insanity.

*They call it a park but a rusty goalpost planted in scrubby grass would be called wasteland in the UK.

 

[Roy Bloom]

History is not set in stone and researchers have access to more evidence and information these days with an ability to cross reference data through computer databases that were just not available to the same degree in the 20th century.
America sold Vietnam to the American public on the strength of a whopping great fib about the Gulf of Tonkin - and the jury is still debating the remarkable series of coincidences surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Claims made by Arafat at the time still sounded like humbug, despite the political problems Ariel Sharon faced in trying to negotiate a deal to satisfy all factions: in truth, one side or the other would still have found a pretext to start a war.

Then there's the Bush invasion of Iraq (which is well publicised) and the invasion of Afghanistan.

President Bush addressed Congress on September 20 and demanded the Taliban deliver bin Laden and al-Qaeda or face war.
Muhammad Umar (Afghan Suprreme Leader) told Pakistan that he would be willing to turn bin Laden over to a third country, but the US refused, demanding a direct handover.

United States invasion of Afghanistan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hence the invasion of Afghanistan and the loss of 2,500 US lives, 450 UK lives, plus other nationalities and countless Afghanistan civilian deaths, many war crimes, etc. And the saga still continues to this day.

Henry Kissinger's famous quote rings out: ""A country that demands moral perfection in its foreign policy will achieve neither perfection nor security".
USA has long, long ago given up any pretence of moral perfection (way before Kissinger's time). And other countries have followed suit.