The Marianne av Goteburg, accompanied by three other vessels dubbed as the Freedom Flotilla Three, have been stopped by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The ships were sailing towards the Gaza Strip, in order to protest a maritime blockade that Israel has been implementing on the coastal enclave.
The Marianne, the lead ship in the convoy which carried former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki and Spanish European Parliament member Ana Miranda Paz, was escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod after being intercepted by the navy. The Marriane's escorts, on the other hand, turned and headed back to their original ports after the former was taken, according to the New York Times.
Israel has strongly stated that it regards entry to Gaza by sea as a provocative action. The country has been so adamant on this point that in 2010, nine passengers on board a Turkish ship en route to Gaza were killed by Israeli commandos who boarded the ship, reports UPI.
The IDF has described the incident in a statement, saying that the Israeli Navy only boarded the Marianne after it failed to heed orders to change course.
"In accordance with international law, the Israeli Navy advised the vessel several times to change course," the IDF statement said, according to The Times of Israel.
"Following their refusal, forces visited and searched the vessel in international waters in order to prevent the intended breach of the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip. The forces have reported that use of force was unnecessary, and that the process was uneventful. The vessel is currently being escorted to Ashdod Port and is expected to arrive within 12-24 hours," the statement further said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that the Israeli Navy took the right course of action.
"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," he said.
