Killing 9 when under attack by idiots with lengths of pipe, and AFTER sustaining casualties is NOT a rampage.
Even under the Canadian Criminal Code you can use lethal force if you or another person are in immediate danger of death or grievous bodily harm.
When I taught armed defense, we taught (in compliance with the code) that a person that was THREATENING you with a knife or blunt trauma device could legally be engaged with gunfire if they were within 6 meters.
I know a couple of the Canadians that were boarding ships, and believe me, if anyone had attacked them with a length of pipe, they would have been immediately blessed with a large number of additional orifices in their bodies. And rightfully so.
Israel is held to a MUCH higher standard than anyone else.
This is ludicrous.
If the incident had occurred within Israeli waters, I would have been entirely in agreement. This incident occurred beyond Israel's jurisdiction, and so was essentially an act of piracy.
To take an example, if an RCMP officer enters my home in Canada with a warrant, that's valid. If an FBI agent enters my home in Canada with no warrant, he's an intruder, plain and simple, like any other thug.
Looking at it that way, had the ship been in Israeli waters, then that ship could have been reasonably engaged in accordance to Israeli law.
In international waters, only international laws apply, and they had not violate one single international law by just sailing a ship. Israel had crossed beyond its jurisdictional authority, and so those on the ship had every right to defend themselves against an act of piracy on the part of the commandos. Yes, it was foolhardy to fight against such odds, but the moral right was still on their side as long as they were outside of Israeli jurisdiction.
To take Canada as an example:
If a ship is heading towards Canada, until it actually enters Canadian waters, it is bound by international laws only, and no national laws apply to it until it enters national waters.
This would mean that as long as such a ship does not violate international laws, a Canadian Coast Guard ship would have no legal or moral right to board that ship without proper international authorization, and to do so would legally be an act of piracy on the part of the Canadian coast Guard.
If the Canadian Coast Guard is intent on stopping that ship legally, it would first have to wait for that ship to enter Canadian waters and then proceed as per Canadian laws.
Why would Israeli law apply beyond its borders?
