Israel Matzav

ROTFL: 'Aid ship' to Gaza 'kidnapped' to Greece

A ship taking 'aid' to 'besieged Gazans' was 'kidnapped' by its captain in a Libyan port and sailed to the port of Piraeus in Greece where it was boarded by Greek commandos (Hat Tip: Joe L). This is from the first link.

The captain of the Strofades IV - which was en route from Libya with aid for the Gaza Strip - diverted the ship to Greece against the passengers' will Friday morning, according to UK newspaper The Telegraph.

The Road to Hope, the British charity organizing the ship, said ten aid workers were on board, as well as Libyan police officers and a port official.

The captain had reportedly argued with the aid workers about money, and sailed from the Libyan port of Derna while the ship was still tied to the dock, bumping into a harbor wall.

The Telegraph reported that Libyan authorities attempted to stop the ship - which is registered in Malta - with speedboats and aircraft, but the captain did not stop his ship until reaching Greece.

And this is from the second link.

Greek commandos boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship -- whose mission went awry and turned into a hostage situation after a dispute with the ship's captain -- in a harbor off the country's coast Friday, an official with the activist organization sponsoring the vessel said.

The people on board, who had been described as hostages by the charity group that sponsored the voyage, were safe and uninjured, but still awaiting word from Greek authorities on their legal status, said Ellie Merton, a representative of the Road to Hope organization in London, England.

Greece's merchant marine ministry said the ship, Strofades IV, had docked in the Greek port city of Pireaus.

Merton said the ship was taken over in Libya by its captain on Thursday after the ship captain "went nuts" and allegedly kidnapped the convoy members on board after an argument, according to the charity.

"Everyone was astounded. Nobody could have scripted this. It's just bizarre," said Merton, who said she had been in touch with members of the Gaza-bound convoy via text message and Facebook.

But this may be the funniest part.

Merton said Friday that other members of the convoy, left behind in Libya after the boat set sail, remained determined to reach Gaza before Eid, the upcoming Muslim holiday that commemorates the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son for God.

"That's the urgency of the situation, because they want to get the aid into the besieged people," she said.

Who is 'Ibrahim'? What son? Good grief! Talk about stealing someone else's narrative.

Hey - don't worry about the 'besieged people' of Gaza. They're doing just fine.



But given the opportunity, here's betting that every one of those Libyans who didn't leave a family behind will defect.

Labels: Gaza plenty, Greece, Libya

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:14 PM