oug wrote:
FEOS wrote:
That's the thing about the law: all countries use it to their advantage. Who would ever use it to their own disadvantage?
The bottomline is that, just like those who scream about the Geneva Conventions, it would appear there are plenty who scream "illegal" WRT this blockade who apparently haven't bothered to actually, I don't know, read the applicable law involved.
Who cares what
governments do? I thought we were debating based on what's right and what's wrong. Not whose arse is covered by some fucked up law. Sure Israel may have found a bloody loophole or some shit, but that sure as hell don't make the people of Gaza suffer any less now does it? The question FEOS is where do you stand in all this. Because were it not for people like you Israel would not be in a postition to mock us all.
Just what the fuck do you mean "people like you"? I suggest you check your fucking generalizations. Now. Or would you rather be lumped in with those who apologize for terrorists who strap bombs to kids with Down Syndrome and blow up cafes full of innocent women and children? I thought not. Remove your emotions from the equation and try some critical thinking, oug.
We are talking about the actions of governments here. It is
all about what governments do. Nothing else. What's right and what's wrong is determined by the applicable laws. Everything else is subjective and relative. Law is not. That's why it's there.
oug wrote:
FEOS wrote:
If the blockade zone has been defined, it doesn't matter if it's international waters (see Cuban Missile Crisis).
Could you elaborate on that? On first glance it just doesn't sound right... I mean I don't know but it iiis international waters still is it not?
It was pretty clearly explained a couple of pages back. A defined blockade zone doesn't have to be in the blockading country's territorial waters. In fact, that makes no sense whatsoever. The blockade zone must be where the blockade needs to be in order to be effective (again, see the Cuban Missile Crisis). The blockade zone is defined and clearly announced. Anyone who enters it knows they are entering a blockade zone and what the rules are. Even in international waters.
oug wrote:
FEOS wrote:
So there is wrongdoing and blame to go around...but unfortunately, all the reporting has been one-sided. At least all the reporting I've seen, anyway.
I have to admit this whole story reeks of Israeli blame so much, it seems kinda hard to shift the blame or create ambiguity. After all many Israelis have said that the biggest mistake they made was that they didn't destroy the whole convoy so there would be no witnesses!
But the biggest problem imo is that despite the global disapproval of the incident, nothing has yet been done about it. Israel atm is walking away untouched. It will be interesting to see if indeed it will remain so.
So there should be punishment without investigation, proof beyond reasonable doubt, etc? Doesn't sound like a biased position at all...
oug wrote:
FEOS wrote:
If Iran hadn't signed the NPT, I don't think they would be under the same sort of pressure they are under today. The "problem" for them is, they did. Just as with North Korea, they did. Then they withdrew from it. Israel never signed it, so were never bound by it. It's a different dynamic and a different standard.
So your argument is that all this fuss is about a signature and not the actual nukes? Come on FEOS you know better than that. Let's not kid ourselves here shall we?
The "fuss" is about
agreements. And
living up to them. That means
actions, not just
signatures.
oug wrote:
The US knows Israel has nukes and they also know that they tried to sell it to the Apartheid gov of South Africa in exchange for all the uranium they got for their own nuclear program. What did the US govt do about that? Nothing. So how is that not double standards?
The US doesn't know that Israel has nukes any more than any other country knows that Israel has nukes. Of course, we suspect it just as much as anyone else does, but that is a state secret--it's not like they share it with others.
Again, why should anything be done about it? There is no reason to do anything about it at all. There is no statutory reason or limitation on Israel developing or proliferating nuclear weapons--
because they didn't sign/agree to the NNPT. I'm not saying that they
should from a
moral standpoint. I'm saying that there is no
legal foundation to stop them or say dammit to them about it.