Irish boat heading for the Gaza coast

Stirring stuff and you really get the feeling that they might not quite get away with it this time and with the Irish aid boat, the 'MV Rachel Corrie', still sailing full speed and the Irish taoiseach, Brian Cowen, warning Israel the consequences will be severe should any harm come to the any of the five Irish citizens, among them the Nobel peace laureate Máiread Maguire and Denis Halliday, a retired senior UN diplomat, on board, the evidence would seem to suggest that it is either time for the Zionist state to give way or suffer very real isolation. All the more so as we can at least expect the governments of the six Malaysians and eight crew of varying nationalities to be thoroughly pissed of should anything happen to their nationals too.

There is a very real victory in the air here and Israel is in a "no-win" situation. Either the IDF will halt the 'MV Rachel Corrie', as they have pledged to do, or the boat will be allowed to proceed and break the blockade. Should there be another confrontation after Monday's slaughter, then there will be a very real recognition by governments of the criminal nature of the Zionist state and should the IDF decide to back down, the Gaza blockade will be broken, for we can be sure that should this ship get through there will be more to follow. It is now time for a united strategy to be developed on how best to exploit the victory, whatever its nature.