The attack by Israeli commandos on the Freedom Flotilla – the aid ships attempting to break the siege on Gaza – has drawn renewed attention to Israel’s longstanding approach to dealing with peaceful resistance. The deaths aboard the Mavi Marmara at the end of May were by no means an isolated incident, and came as no surprise to participants in or observers of the Palestinian nonviolent struggle.
On the same day as the attacks on the boats, as protests sprung up across the occupied Palestinian territories, an activist was shot in the face with a tear-gas canister, leading to the loss of her left eye.
