Israel Matzav

Israel urges 'international community' to stop new Lebanese flotilla

Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged the 'international community' to stop a Lebanese 'flotilla' from setting out for Gaza on Friday. The 'flotilla,' which is due to set out from Tripoli this weekend, has a ship full of women and a ship full of journolists.

This flotilla was an attempt to “incite a confrontation and raise tensions in our region,” Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev said in letters to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council.

Shalev’s attempt to get the international community to stop the two vessels, the Junia and the Julia, came the same day that Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued a statement saying the planned Lebanese flotilla was an “unnecessary provocation,” and that Israel held the Lebanese government responsible for preventing the ships from sailing to break the blockade of Gaza.

The Israel Navy had been on high alert on Friday amid predictions that the ships were preparing to depart for the Gaza Strip.

Barak said that if the cargo the ships were carrying was of a humanitarian nature it would be allowed into Gaza via Ashdod Port and land crossings into Gaza controlled by Israel.

“If the ships refuse to accompany the navy to Ashdod, we will have no choice but to stop it at sea,” he said.

For once, the UN is actually listening (amazing what throwing a little weight around will do, isn't it?).

On Friday, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky, relating to the planned Lebanese flotilla, said those who wish to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza should do so by land and not try to break Israel’s sea blockade.

Hamas reacted furiously to these comments, calling them – according to an Al-Jazeera report – tantamount to “collaboration with the Israeli occupier.”

“The UN call to international organizations to use the overland road to Gaza instead of the sea is unacceptable and illegal,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri said.

Abu Zahri called on groups interested in delivering aid to Gaza to continue to try to do so by sea until the blockade of the territory is completely broken.

Curiously, this report says that Israel's return of the Mavi Marmara and the other five ships from May's Turkish flotilla does not include a commitment not to use the ships for another flotilla - in an earlier post I cited a story (also from the JPost) that reported otherwise. Hmmm.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:52 PM