The Israeli Navy late Sunday night surprised the flotilla bound for Hamas-controlled Gaza, and the activists reported that three Israeli ships are on the flotilla’s radar screens. Passengers have donned life vests.
One of the crew said that one “Navy warship” contacted the six boats in the flotilla and asked them to identify themselves. They were told the Navy would board the boats if the ships's crew and passengers do not agree to head for the Ashdod port instead of the Gaza Coast, where Israel maintains sovereignty under the Oslo Accords. International law allows for countries to ask suspicious boats to identify themselves.
Israel is equally determined not to allow the boats to reach Gaza and set a precedent that would break Israeli sovereignty over the waters in order to prevent terrorists and arms from being smuggled from the Mediterranean Sea.
The Israeli military and Foreign Ministry have accused the activists of being more interested in trying to stage an anti-Israel stunt and strengthen Hamas rather than trying to help Gaza Arabs. Government spokesmen have pointed out that aid always can be shipped to Gaza through the Ashdod port, and that the alleged “humanitarian crisis” is a ruse because Israel oversees daily shipments of hundreds of tons of food, merchandise and supplies.
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