Snapped Shot

There is nothing inherently wrong with taking a little bit of artistic license in news photography, so long as it doesn't distort the way events are presented, and so long as it honestly represents the facts as they stand. This particular caption strikes me as being well beyond the reasonable limits of artistic license, as cute as the photographer is trying to be. We're told, according to our intrepid photographer, that these men are swimming in the sea in defiance of Israelthe Evil Zionists, who have evilly blockaded Sidon. (Did you notice my slight exercise of "artistic" there?)

In reality, what we know about blockades can be inferred from international law, which merely says that nations in war against each other have the right to blockade enemy ports, so long as there is a force sufficient to make the blockade effective.

There can be no doubt that the Israeli navy contains such sufficient power.

One can't really find any instances, though, of a blockade being levied against swimmers. And our swimmers in this photograph don't appear to be doing much "defying," but rather seem to be enjoying themselves.

So are they "defying the blockade?" Or are they having a good time at the beach? I'll let you decide.