Israel begins deportation of Gaza flotilla activists

Israel begins deportation of Gaza flotilla activists

2011-07-20 22:37:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEL AVIV (BNO NEWS) -- All 15 foreigners aboard an intercepted Gaza-bound yacht will be flown out of Israel by the end of Wednesday, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said five of the foreign activists on board the French yacht have already been deported, Haaretz newspaper reported. The French yacht, Dignite Al Karame, was intercepted by the Israel Navy on Tuesday after it refused to obey an Israeli demand to change course as it sailed for a Gaza port.

Israeli navy commandoes boarded the yacht minutes after Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Benny Gantz issued the order to intercept. The commandos took the vessel to the Israeli port with no resistance from those aboard.

"In accordance with government directives, after all diplomatic channels had been exhausted and continuous calls to the vessel had been ignored, IDF (marines) boarded the Karame in an effort to stop it from breaking the maritime security blockade on the Gaza Strip," a military statement said.

Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan condemned the seizure of the ship and described it as "piracy, a war crime and a violation of the principles of human rights", according to Haaretz newspaper.

The Dignite was part of the 'Freedom Flotilla II', which consisted of ten ships carrying more than 500 Palestinian activists from around the world. Most of the ships, however, were prevented from leaving Greek ports, following intense pressure from Israel.

In May 2010, nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed and dozens more were injured when Israeli commandos boarded a ship participating in the 'Freedom Flotilla I'. The incident caused global outrage over alleged excessive force, but Israel has denied that and said its commandos were being attacked.

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