Israeli PM Netanyahu Rightfully Defends Action Taken Against Gaza Flotilla

The AFP reports that "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed 'regret' Monday over the loss of life in a raid on an aid convoy that left at least nine dead, but said Israeli troops acted to 'defend their lives.' 'We regret the loss of life,' Netanyahu said in Ottawa during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. But he insisted the Israeli forces had acted to defend themselves, telling reporters later that the flotilla was seeking to smuggle into Gaza rockets or other weapons to attack the Jewish state. The raid by Israel troops 'was to prevent the infiltration of thousands of rockets, missiles and other arms that could hit our cities, communities or people,' the Israeli leader said. 'The Israeli soldiers 'defended themselves from a lynching,' he added. I give my complete backing to the army, the soldiers and commanders who acted to defend the state and to protect their lives,' he added. Netanyahu cut short his visit to Canada and cancelled his trip to Washington to return to Israel to deal with the crisis, after the incident provoked a wave of international criticism... Netanyahu said Israeli commandos who stormed the ships in an attempt to prevent them from reaching Gaza were attacked by the pro-Palestinian activists on board. 'They deliberately attacked the soldiers, they were mobbed with clubs, beaten and stabbed, and there are even reports of gunfire,' he said."
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