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Greece bans all Gaza-bound ship from setting sail
Coastguard officials intercepted a US vessel Friday after it tried to defy a Greek ban on boats sailing to Gaza, as activists accused Israeli agents of a campaign harassment and sabotage.The Audacity of Hope sailed without warning, leaving behind nine other boats supposed to be taking part in the 2011 international "Freedom Flotilla," after the Greek authorities announced their ban. It was quickly intercepted by a coastguard boat with six masked, armed men on board. As the news spread that the US boat had been stopped, activists slammed what they called an "out-sourcing of Israeli foreign policy." The French "Boat to Gaza" organisation released a statement claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had thanked Greece and other leaders around the world for their stand against the "provocative flotilla". Activists have also blamed Israel for the sabotage of two of their boats and for a campaign of harassment and dirty tricks against activists. Posted by: tipper 2011-07-01 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=325557 |