Israel warships monitoring Gaza-bound Libyan aid ship
Loading...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Israeli navy vessels are shadowing a Libyan-chartered ship carrying aid for Gaza, in defiance of the blockade, amid confusion about its final destination.
The Gaddafi Foundation insists the Moldovan-flagged Amalthea is ignoring a warning from Israel to change course.
However, Egyptian and Israeli officials say its captain has agreed to divert to the Egyptian port of El-Arish. The crew are also complaining of engine trouble.
The Amalthea left Greece on Saturday and was due to reach Gaza on Wednesday.
The attempt to break the blockade comes six weeks after nine activists were killed when Israeli commandos boarded another aid ship bound for Gaza.
On Monday, an Israeli military inquiry said it had found mistakes were made at a senior level during the operation, which sparked international outrage, but that the troops had been justified in their use of live fire.
Israel's parliament meanwhile voted on Tuesday to strip an Israeli Arab MP, Hanin Zuabi, of some parliamentary privileges to punish her for joining the flotilla in May. These include her diplomatic passport and legal aid.
Ms Zuabi said the Knesset was punishing her out of vengeance and was threatening the coexistence between Jews and Arabs.
The Israeli military announced that naval forces had "launched preparations and activity to stop" the Amalthea as it approached Gaza's coast on Tuesday, beginning with a "process of identification and communication".
But officials denied they had given the vessel an ultimatum to change course by midnight or face a forceful takeover.
Instead, they said, the captain had told them he planned to sail to accept an offer from the Egyptian authorities to sail to El-Arish, where the cargo of 2,000 tonnes of food and medicine would be unloaded and transferred by land to Gaza.
A recording purportedly of the captain stating the Amalthea's destination was El-Arish was later broadcast on Israeli television.
A crew member meanwhile told Israel Radio that it its main engine had developed a fault, and that they did not know how long it would take to repair.
The Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, which chartered the ship, said communications had been jammed by Israel and that it was moving at a slow pace because of the warships surrounding it.
"The ship's captain was asked by the gunboat crew to go to El-Arish port instead, stressing that the vessel will not be allowed to go into Gaza at all," said the charity, which is headed by a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
"For his part, the ship's captain and the head of the foundation's team on board... affirmed that the ship's sole destination is Gaza, asserting that it is carrying humanitarian aid and has no other purpose whatsoever."
Israel has carried out intense diplomatic activity to try to persuade the crew to divert the aid vessel to El-Arish.
The Israeli government has in the past week lobbied the UN, as well as the Greek and Moldovan governments, to take action, calling the motives of the activists "questionable and provocative".
The 92m (302ft) Amalthea, renamed Al-Amal (Hope) for the mission, is loaded with about 2,000 tonnes of food, cooking oil, medicines and pre-fabricated houses. It is also carrying 15 pro-Palestinian activists and 12 crew members.