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Israeli Navy intercepts ship headed for Gaza

It was escorted to a naval base at Ashdod, Israel.

By Ed Adamczyk
Palestinian protesters sail into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday while waving their national flags during a protest calling to free the Marianne vessel, one of four boats sailing to break the blockade on Gaza strip, at the fishermen port in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza. Israel's navy intercepted a Swedish vessel attempting to breach a naval blockade of Gaza early Monday and was redirecting it to an Israeli port, the military and the activists said. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI
1 of 7 | Palestinian protesters sail into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday while waving their national flags during a protest calling to free the Marianne vessel, one of four boats sailing to break the blockade on Gaza strip, at the fishermen port in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza. Israel's navy intercepted a Swedish vessel attempting to breach a naval blockade of Gaza early Monday and was redirecting it to an Israeli port, the military and the activists said. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

ASHDOD , Israel, June 29 (UPI) -- A ship attempting to arrive in Gaza to protest the naval blockade was intercepted without incident Monday by the Israeli Navy.

The ship Marianne av Goteburg, accompanied by three other vessels, was intercepted in international waters and was escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod before it could arrive in Gaza. Aboard were 18 pro-Palestinian activists protesting Israeli restrictions on movements of people and materials in and out of Gaza by sea; they included former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki and Spanish European Parliament member Ana Miranda Paz.

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Entry to Gaza by sea is regarded by Israel as a provocative action. In 2010, nine passengers of a Turkish ship attempting to reach Gaza were killed b Israeli commandos who attacked it.

Monday the Marianne av Goteburg was boarded by Israeli security forces after the passengers made it clear the ship would not voluntarily be diverted from its destination, an Israeli Defense Force statement said.

After the mission ended, a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "I want to commend the soldiers and commanders of the Navy who effectively obstructed participants from entering Gaza's shores illegally. This flotilla is nothing but a display of hypocrisy which only helps Hamas while ignoring other atrocities in the region."

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Earlier Monday he wrote a letter, presumably to those aboard the boat but also released to the news media, condemning the flotilla for supporting "a terrorist regime (in Gaza) with summarily executes citizens in the Gaza Strip and uses children as human shields."

Organizers of the trip to Gaza released a statement of their own as the ship was seized and redirected, saying "We call once again on the government of Israel to finally lift the blockade on Gaza and let the peaceful ship, the Marianne, reach its destination in order to deliver its cargo of dignity and hope."

Except for fishermen in small boats, Israel does not permit any maritime traffic to or from Gaza's shore on the Mediterranean Sea. In the past, weapons have been smuggled in by sea.

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