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Israel displays Widows' Guns n Ammo from Gaza ship
ASHDOD, Israel - Israel displayed on Wednesday advanced arms that it said had been found aboard a cargo ship seized in the Mediterranean Sea, and pointed to the haul as proof of the need to blockade the Gaza Strip.
A lot of widows are crying tonight...
“To all those who questioned and attacked and criticised Israel for stopping Gaza-bound ships in order to check them, here is the answer,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at Ashdod port, where the guided missiles, artillery rounds and assault-rifle ammunition were laid out.

“Their origin is in Iran, they passed through Syria and were en route to terror elements in Gaza. But their ultimate target was Israeli civilians,” Netanyahu said. “It is our duty, not just our right, to stop these ships and remove their weaponry.”

The German-owned Victoria was intercepted on Tuesday some 200 miles (320 km) from Israel, after it set off from Syria and berthed in Turkey. Israel said ordnance stowed on board would have been offloaded in Egypt and smuggled to neighbouring Gaza.

The arms find included six C-704 radar-guided anti-ship missiles, thousands of mortar shells and almost 67,000 assault rifle bullets for AK-47s, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. Also on display were sacks of lentils which, the Israelis said, were used to disguise the arms caches.

The Chinese-designed C-704s could have enabled Palestinians in Gaza to challenge Israel’s control of their coast. Hezbollah guerrillas used a similar missile to cripple an Israeli warship and kill four of its personnel during the 2006 Lebanon war.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak said C-704s launched from Gaza could also threaten an Israeli off-shore gas field and a fuel pipeline, as well as commercial shipping to and from Ashdod.

“This is an item that could change the mode of conduct around the coast of the Gaza Strip,” he said.

A source in Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Victoria’s crew would be repatriated “at the earliest opportunity”.

“In principle, the ship itself will be returned to its owners once the legal situation is resolved,” the source said.
Why not confiscate it and let the Israeli navy use it for target practice? It would teach shipping companies to be a bit more careful.

Posted by: Steve White 2011-03-17
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=318390