Israel Intercepts Flotilla Heading to Gaza

On June 29, Israeli naval forces intercepted a flotilla heading to Gaza. No casualties were reported, and the ship is currently being directed to the port in Ashdod. Upon arrival, the passengers will be questioned and then taken to Ben-Gurion airport to be flown out of the country.

The Swedish ship, known as the Marianne, was followed by three other boats known as the Freedom Flotilla Three. They turned back toward their original ports after the Marianne was intercepted.

Eighteen passengers are aboard the Marianne. They include the former President of Tunisia, Moncef Marzouki; a Spanish member of the European Parliament, Ana Miranda Paz; and a number of journalists and activists.

A statement by the Israeli navy said that the ship was instructed numerous times to turn back from its course, which was set to break the blockade of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, following the interception, that “this flotilla is nothing but a demonstration of the hypocrisy and lies that only help Hamas and ignore the atrocities in the region… The sea blockade is in accordance with international law, and has received backing from the UN Secretary General.”

The activists aboard the flotilla have stressed their nonviolent intentions, calling upon Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza so that the Marianne can “reach its destination in order to deliver its cargo of dignity and hope.”

The Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza strip began in 2007 after Hamas won its elections, and its goal is to provide security to Israel. Before the blockade, weapons were being shipped into Gaza for use by Hamas. The UN has stated said that Israel has the right to board ships going to the territory, including those containing protesters and humanitarian aid, and to turn them around for protection.

The flotilla was organized by the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG), in conjunction with the Euro-Mid Observer, a Hamas front-group. According to the Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Watch, the the current head of the Euro-Mid Observer is Dr. Ramy Abdu; he was the former regional director of the Council of European Palestinian Relations (CEPR), a pro-Hamas lobbying group for the European Union. Prior to working with CEPR, Abdu worked for the ECESG as a spokesman. In 2012, Euro-Mid co-organized a protest in Geneva against the United Arab Emirates’ treatment of Muslim Brotherhood leaders. Other protest organizers also have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood: the Swiss Muslim League, the Swiss member organization of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (the representative body of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe), and the Emirates Center for Human Rights (tied to Hamas and to the Muslim Brotherhood in the United Kingdom).

Multiple flotillas have been organized and sent to Gaza since 2007 as a protest of the blockade. The first flotilla, in 2010, was sponsored by Insani Yardim Vakfi (also known as the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief). Two years prior to the flotilla’s launch, Israel banned the IHH due to its membership in the Union of Good. The Union of Good has been designated by the US as a terrorist entity, being a front-group for Hamas financing. It is headed by the leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, Yussef Qaradawi, and has many other ties to the Muslim Brotherhood as well. Along with the IHH, the ECESG helped organize the flotilla in 2010 and another in 2011, and as previously stated, the ECESG has numerous connections to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2014, a third flotilla with leaving from a port in Gaza was attempted, but the ship exploded before setting sail. Its organizer, the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza, has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in the United Kingdom and to Hamas through its leadership.

Every flotilla sent toward Gaza has been turned away by Israel. What these protesters do not acknowledge is that the blockade was put in place for the protection of the Israeli people.  Following last summer and Operation Protective Edge, Hamas has waged a successful disinformation campaign that convinced much of the world that Israel is the aggressor and Hamas is the innocent victim. The flotillas are an extension of the campaign and are intended to bring an end to the naval blockade through political means because Hamas cannot defeat it militarily. They are not organized by people who sympathize with Palestinians – they are put together by Hamas itself. The protesters know that their ships will not be allowed through, so they paint themselves as peaceful activists to garner international support. However, their ability to tug upon the world’s heartstrings does not diminish the fact that Gaza is still being controlled by a terrorist organization. Until Hamas no longer has a presence in Gazan life, Israel must maintain the blockade. Hamas is a terrorist organization that is violent and oppressive, and it must be destroyed.