Israel's Kent State?

Some fellow named Moshe Yaroni has likened Israel's act of self-defense aboard the Mavi Marmara to the shootings by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in May 1970 which resulted in the deaths of four students. Yaroni writes:

When I first heard confirmed reports of this massacre, I thought of the Kent State shootings in 1970. That horrific tragedy, like this one, was the result of a government using ridiculously disproportionate force against civil disobedience.

First, for Yaroni to suggest that what happened aboard the Mavi Marmara was a massacre is utter nonsense. It implies the IDF boarded the ship with intent to wantonly kill.

The IDF boarded the other five ships in the flotilla without incident. Had those aboard the Mavi Marmara exercised similar prudence we would not be engaging in this discourse.

Instead, those aboard the Mavi Marmara assaulted the IDF with knives, baseball bats and whatever else they could get their hands on. As one of the thugs on board explained before the incident, "There are two possible happy endings. Either we will reach Gaza or we will achieve martyrdom.” I guess they are now enjoying their 72 virgins.

The four students killed at Kent State forty years ago weren't assaulting the Ohio National Guard much less armed. In fact, two of the four students killed had no involvement in the anti-war protest and were simply trying to get from one class to another. There were no innocent bystanders on the Mavi Marmara. They were looking for a fight to the death and got it.

By employing such a specious analogy, Mr. Maroni has sullied the memories of those killed at Kent State University. Shame on him.