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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| MPs say Israel navy surrounds Libya aid ship |
| 2010-07-13 |
| [Ma'an] A PLC member in Gaza and an Israeli MK reported Tuesday afternoon that warships had surrounded a Libyan aid ship 100 kilometers off the Gaza coast. A military spokesman said he could not confirm the reports, made to Ma'an from Jamal Al-Khudari in Gaza and MK Ahmad Tibi in Jerusalem. Tibi and Al-Khudari, who are both reportedly in touch with the ship's organizers, said the crews were determined to continue to their destination, the Gaza City Port. Al-Khudari said he believed Israeli warnings were serious, noting the similarity of the Israeli actions to the 31 May attack on a ship from the Freedom Flotilla, when commandos belayed on board and shot nine passengers in order to commandeer the vessel. A recent military investigation into the incident found no fault with the actions. Shortly after noon, the Israeli military made radio contact the ship which left the Greek port of Athens on Saturday under a Moldovan flag. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 That's what Apache attack helicopters are for. Submit or die. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-07-13 17:04 |
| #3 It is so aggravating that the Israelis don't just simply disable these ships. Then the simple proposition is either they have to ask for assistance, and are given a tow to a proper port, or they don't, and drift away. All they need are a couple of buoys with cable between them. Once tangled in propeller, that propeller is useless. You get your serious navy types, and they probably have whole books dedicated to how to stop ships at sea. Hell, just figure out where their engine is, and put a few .50 cal AP rounds through the hull. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-07-13 16:34 |
| #2 JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The captain of a Gaza-bound Libyan aid ship on Tuesday rejected an Israeli demand that it dock instead in Egypt, the mission organizers said, setting course for a new confrontation over Israel's naval blockade. Six weeks after it drew world outcry by killing nine Turks in the botched boarding of another ship that tried to reach the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory, Israel vowed to turn away or seize the cargo vessel Amalthea -- renamed "Hope" by activists. A charity chaired by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, said in a statement an Israeli warship was near the Moldovan-flagged Amalthea, which left Greece on Saturday for what would normally be a three-day voyage to Gaza. In response to the Israeli order to head for the Egyptian port of El Arish, "the captain of the Libyan ship and the head of the foundation team on board reaffirmed that the ship's destination is Gaza and no other place," the charity said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that a "process of identification and communication" with the vessel, some 100 miles from the Gaza coast, had begun but said the ship had not been boarded. "The Israeli navy has launched preparations and activity to stop the Libyan ship," she said. The Arabic-language news channel Al Jazeera said Israel had given the Amalthea until midnight (2100 GMT) to change tack or face possible boarding. But an Israeli military spokesman denied there had been such an ultimatum. An Israeli source briefed on the exchange at sea said the captain had "voiced interest" in rerouting to El Arish. That could not be independently confirmed. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-07-13 15:50 |
| #1 Short arm inspection on the poop deck in 10 minutes... |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-07-13 15:15 |