Free Gaza: Attack on Lebanese ship racist

While Livni claims aid ship was detained due to change in policy, activist says it was anti-Muslim act

Yael Levy
Published: 02.05.09, 22:31 / Israel News

The IDF responded aggressively to a Lebanese vessel's attempt to reach Gaza Thursday. Navy forces seized control of the ship after firing shots into the air to warn the activists on board against attempting to break the naval blockade.

Ship Impounded

Lebanese aid boat docks in Ashdod / Hanan Greenberg

Lebanese ship purportedly transporting aid to Gaza found to be carrying only 150 bottles of water, several dozen kilograms of supplies despite capacity for many thousands of kilos. Greek Archbishop Hilarion Capucci among passengers taken for questioning

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A number of boats belonging to the Free Gaza movement have succeeded in reaching Gaza in recent months, without being intercepted by Israel.

This time, the movement claims, the boat was detained because the activists on board were Lebanese, and therefore subject to different treatment by the IDF. The Lebanese boat is not directly related to the movement, but Huwaida Araf, a Free Gaza spokeswoman, commented on the matter.

"It's total racism," Araf told Ynet. "The fact that the people on board are Lebanese should not automatically mark them as terrorists. There is a different attitude towards international populations because you can't display them as terrorists, as is often done with Muslims."

Navy accompanies ship to Ashdod port (Photo: AP)

She said the activists on board were religious leaders and medical officials who had obtained all of the necessary permits to sail to Gaza. "This was a civilian attempt to bring aid to the Strip, and there was no reason for an attack," she protested.

However Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni claimed earlier in the day that the ship was detained due to a change in IDF policy regarding activist boats. "Israel will not live in a neighborhood in which a bully sets the rules. Israel will not grant this bully any political achievements, and will act against this bully with force," she said.

The Free Gaza movement's boats had only been interfered with by the Navy on two occasions out of seven. In both cases army ships had nudged the boats in order to move the, away, and this frightened the activists on board.

However Araf insists that in these cases, "It was only thanks to our captain's maneuvering techniques that we were saved. We were slammed against boats barbarically. I have seen Israeli aggression up close, so the assault on the Lebanese ship didn't surprise me. Those who surprise me are the Israeli people and the international community, who are silent."

The Lebanese ship differs from the various Free Gaza boats that have reached the Strip's shores in the load it was carrying. The ship was stocked with food and medical supplies donated by Lebanese organizations, and just eight crew members. In contrast, the Free Gaza boats were mostly packed with reporters and activists.

"We don't see ourselves as a humanitarian organization," Araf says. "We work for the recognition and respect of the Palestinians' rights and in order to provide them with access to the outside world, so they won't be reliant on aid. However, when we could take supplies with us, we did."

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