IDF special forces tow away flotilla's Marianne
The ‘Marianne’, right, being led into the Ashdod port. Photo by EPA
Israel seizes activist flotilla headed to Gaza
Naval special forces take control of ship, which carried 20 activists including MK Basel Ghattas, without violence.
By Yoav Zitun and Elior Levy, Ynet news
June 29, 2015
The Swedish boat “Marianne,” a part of a four-boat flotilla which tried to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, was towed into the Ashdod port on Monday night by the Israeli Navy after being taken over by from the Shayetet 13 special forces unit in the very early hours of the day.
The IDF said that the seizure was in accordance with the decision of the political echelon, and after exhausting all diplomatic channels.
“When it became clear that the passengers had no intention to cooperate and proceed to the port of Ashdod, it was decided to seize the vessel and to transport it to the Ashdod port,” an IDF official said.
Besides the “Marianne”, the commandos saw two other ships, which refrained from nearing Gaza and turned back. A fourth ship is believed to have turned back beforehand.
The activists additionally released pre-recorded videos of themselves aboard the ship, explaining thier views.
Activist Dror Feiler and captain Joel Opperdoes deliver pre-recorded messages
The activists aboard the “Marianne” will be questioned upon their arrival in Israel and then expelled abroad through Ben Gurion International Airport. The Israeli citizens among them – including Joint Arab List MK Basel Ghattas – will be handed off to the care of the Israel Police.
MK Basel Ghattas before boarding the ‘Marianne’. Photo by Balad
Following the seizure, videos by the participants were published online. “The Israelis acted like pirates again, took us as hostages, and prevented us from reaching Gaza,” said former Israeli and left-wing activist Dror Feiler.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended “the determined and effective detention of the passengers who tried to enter Gaza’s shores illegally. This flotilla is nothing but a display of hypocrisy and lies, which only helps the terrorist organization Hamas and ignores all the atrocities in our region.”
Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon added: “This flotilla was not a humanitarian one and was not concerned for anyone’s welfare. The participants’ desire was to continue the campaign of Israel’s de-legitimization. This is part of the spectacle of hypocrisy and lies of various bodies in the world, which prefer to strengthen and support a ruthless terrorist organization like Hamas. There is no siege on Gaza, and Israel is the only entity in the region that allows a constant entry of various commodities and the carrying out of humanitarian projects. But we have no intention of allowing any entity to smuggle weapons that will be directed against us.”
There were 18 passengers aboard the “Marianne”, including Joint Arab List MK Basel Ghattas, former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki and Feiler. It was accompanied by three smaller boats: “Rachel,” with eight passengers on board; “Vittorio” with nine passengers on board; and “Juliano II” with 12 passengers.
The navy carefully tracked the vessels’ movements and prepared its plan for stopping the flotilla.
On Sunday night, the flotilla’s organizers said on Twitter that three ships had approached the flotilla and were recognized as belonging to the IDF. They said the closest ship was 500 metres away.
The Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday published a missive to be given to the activists upon their arrival.
“It looks like you took a wrong turn,” read the letter. “Perhaps you meant to sail to a place not far from here – Syria. Where Assad’s regime is slaughtering its people on a daily basis, and this is done with the support of Iran’s murderous regime.”
As a lesson learned from the capture of the “Mavi Marmara flotilla” in 2010, the commandos were told to document the takeover so the IDF Spokesman’s Office can quickly distribute the footage to world media before the activists could post their own image of victory.
MK Basel Ghattas, whose participation in the flotilla was first made public by Ynet, on Sunday sent a letter from the open sea to Netanyahu and Ya’alon, calling on them to refrain from using force and to instruct security forces to allow the ships to enter Gaza.
Children waiting on the shoreline at Gaza to welcome the flotilla. Tweeted by Mohammed Usman, June 28th, 2015
PCHR Condemns Israeli Attack on Freedom Flotilla III
Ref: 36/2015
By Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
June 29, 2015
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli Navy’s interception and seizure of the first vessel of Freedom Flotilla III taking it to Ashdod seaport in Israel. PCHR believes that this attack is aimed to impose the conspiracy of international silence towards crimes committed by Israel against the Gaza Strip’s population, including the illegal closure that has been imposed for the ninth consecutive year.
At 04:00 on Monday, 29 June 2015, the Israeli Navy intercepted a leading vessel of Freedom Flotilla III, Marianne, which raises the Swedish flag and carries 18 solidarity activists representing the international civil society, about 100 nautical miles from Gaza’s shore. Israeli Navy commandos seized control over the vessel, and the solidarity activists were detained and transferred to Ashdod seaport in Israel. Freedom Flotilla III consists of four ships: Marianne, carrying 18 solidarity activists, including Mohammed al-Munsif al-Marzouki, former Tunisian President, and Bassel Ghattas, member of the Israeli Knesset; Juliano II, carrying 12 solidarity activists; Rachel, carrying eight solidarity activists; and Vittorio, carrying nine solidarity activists. A fifth vessel, Agios Nikolaos, joined the Flotilla in Greece,
The act of piracy committed by Israeli occupation forces against solidarity activists who came to the Gaza Strip, unarmed but with their moral strength, is another attempt to silence the voices of the free people of the world who wished to send a message to the whole world that the total siege imposed the Gaza Strip is inhuman, illegal, a man-made disaster and a part of an ongoing war crime against Palestinian civilians.
The illegal Israeli siege, represented in severe restrictions on the movement of persons and goods at border crossings, constitutes a serious human rights violation and a form of collective punishment. It has left disastrous impacts on all aspects of life of 1.8 million Palestinians, as 70% of the Gaza Strip’s population lack food security, and they depend on food aids provided by UNRWA and World Food Programme. It has also destroyed the economy of the Gaza Strip and paralyzed major production sectors. As a consequence, the rate of families living below the poverty line has increased to 38.8%, including 21.1% living in extreme poverty. The number of unemployed Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has amounted to 195,000, constituting 44% of the labor force. Moreover, the basic infrastructure has deteriorated up to the level of inability to desalinate drinking water and treat wastewater.
In light of the attack on Freedom Flotilla III, PCHR:
Expresses high appreciation and respect for solidarity activist on Freedom Flotilla III and all free people of the world who have supported our just cause, exposed Israeli violations of human rights, sent their message and spoke out to the whole world that the siege is unjust, illegal and a violation of international humanitarian law.
Emphasizes that the crime of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip is one of the major crimes that will be raised before the International Criminal Court, especially as the report of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict, which will be discussed by the UN Human Rights Council today, explicitly points out the illegal siege crime.
Calls upon the international community to seriously act to compel Israeli authorities to stop the policies of collective punishment they practice against the Gaza Strip, including the tightened closure of border crossings which has impacted on the economic and social rights of the civilian population.
Israel intercepts Gaza-bound flotilla in ‘casualty-free’ operation
20 activists on Marianne boat, among them MK Basel Ghattas (Joint Arab List) and former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki, rerouted to Ashdod port; two other Gaza-bound boats turn back after interception.
By Gili Cohen , Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz
June 29, 2015
Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound boat Marianne late on Sunday night, in what the Israeli Defence Forces said was a short operation, free of any casualties. The boat was rerouted to the Ashdod port, arriving there on Monday evening.
Two additional boats making their way to the Gaza coast turned back after the interception. It was not clear whether they were returning to their ports in Greece or if they planned to resume their sail to Gaza at a later time.
Naval commandos from the Shayetet 13 unit searched the boat after the successful takeover. According to military sources, the ship is expected to dock in Ashdod within the next 12 to 24 hours, depending on weather and sea conditions.
After arriving in Ashdod, the passengers will be interrogated before being escorted to Ben-Gurion Airport and flown out of Israel.
The Swedish boat, which on Sunday afternoon was 150 nautical miles from the Gaza Coast, is carrying 20 activists, among them MK Basel Ghattas (Joint Arab List) and former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki.
“This flotilla is nothing but a demonstration of the hypocrisy and lies that only help Hamas and ignore the atrocities in the region,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said following the interception. “The sea blockade is in accordance with international law, and has received backing from the UN Secretary General.”
“We are not willing to allow in weapons to the terrorist organizations in Gaza, as they have tried to do in the past, by sea,” Netanyahu added. “Just a year ago, we stopped an attempt to bring in hundreds of weapons by sea, that were meant to harm Israeli civilians.”
According to the army’s original plan, after boarding the ship, the soldiers were to hand out a letter issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, welcoming them to Israel and wondering why they sailed to Gaza and not Syria. “Perhaps you meant to sail somewhere else nearby – Syria, where Assad’s regime is massacring his people every day, with the support of the murderous Iranian regime.”
Some of the passengers on the flotilla. Given their pledge of, and practice in, non-violence, it would have been simple for the naval commandos to search the ships for weapons.
Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon praised the Israel Navy for commandeering the Marianne overnight. “This flotilla does not have humanitarian intentions, and is not interested in anyone’s welfare. The participants’ goal is to continue de-legitimizing the state of Israel. This is part of the hypocritical show of lies from various factions around the world that prefer to support and bolster a relentless terrorist group like Hamas, which instead of caring for Gaza residents, tries to smuggle in weapons in order to use them against Israel and its civilians,” said Ya’alon in a statement.
Activists aboard the Marianne have said they are unarmed and will not forcibly resist IDF efforts to stop them from reaching their destination.
Their plan was for the boat to approach the Gaza coast within 24 hours, during the day, and not at night, but flotilla organizers said Saturday that the Marianne would arrive either overnight or early Monday morning. The timing had depended on sea conditions and the weather, since the Marianne is a small fishing vessel.
Two other boats that set sail Friday from Greek ports with the intent of joining the Marianne were forced to return to port by the Greek authorities, and the Marianne is expected to approach Gaza alone.
Ghattas on Sunday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to allow the Marianne to enter Gaza’s port.
In his letter to Netanyahu and Ya’alon, Ghattas wrote, “As you know, I declared my intention to participate in the flotilla to Gaza out of clear political motivations, because of my opposition to the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip.” Ghattas added that “the blockade is illegal and contravenes international humanitarian law, in that it imposes collective punishment on Gaza residents.”
Ghattas wrote that along with the former Tunisian president, the vessel’s passengers included European parliament members, journalists, academics and writers. “All the passengers are peace activists and their sole purpose is to protest the closure of Gaza and to provide humanitarian aid – medical equipment to Shifa Hospital.”
Ghattas called on the Israeli officials “to order the security forces to allow the entrance of the Marianne and avoid the use of any forces, which undermines the ship’s humanitarian mission.”