Navy Peacefully Intercepts Gaza-Bound Vessel

YERUSHALAYIM (AP/Hamodia) —
An Israeli naval vessel in the Mediterranean sea outside the port of Ashdod on Monday. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
An Israeli naval vessel in the Mediterranean sea outside the port of Ashdod on Monday. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

Israel’s navy intercepted a Swedish vessel attempting to breach its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip early Monday and redirected it to the Ashdod port, the military and the activists said.

After exhausting all diplomatic efforts, the government ordered naval forces to block the vessel. The forces boarded the Marianne and searched it in international waters without needing to use any force, the military said.

The ship was carrying about 20 activists, including Israeli Arab lawmaker Basel Ghattas and former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki. Three other ships that were part of the original flotilla reversed course before encountering the Israeli navy.

Petros Stergiou, a member of the flotilla’s media team in Athens, said the group would continue its acts of protest until the blockade of Gaza was lifted.

Later on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commended the navy on the intervention and denounced the “hypocrisy” of the Gaza flotilla activists who claim to be bringing humanitarian aid.

Addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu said that “Israel has delivered 1.6 million tons of materials to Gaza, more than any other country, in a clear manner, as our unequivocal policy” since the conclusion of Operation Protective Edge.

“This means almost a ton of equipment for every resident, 800 trucks a day,” he explained.

“I would compare this to the cargo of this boat. Approximately 500,000 such boats laden with goods — this is what compares to what Israel has transferred. Thus, there is no need for this.”

“Neither is there any problem, if they want to deliver humanitarian goods to Gaza, it is possible to do so via the land crossings, with Israel filtering out — of course — the possibility of transferring weapons through these crossings.”

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