Israel threatens to stop Lebanon-Gaza Flotilla by all means
World
Israel threatens to stop Lebanon-Gaza Flotilla by all means
Israel has warned Lebanon that it would use all necessary means to prevent aid flotilla planning to sail from Lebanon to Gaza to break Israel's four-year blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. Israel's UN ambassador Gabriela Shalev sent a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council warning that the attempt by the organizers to sail from Lebanon and deliver humanitarian aid to the strip could escalate tensions and affect peace and security in the region. Israel reserves its right under international law to use all necessary means to prevent these ships from violating the existing naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, Shalev wrote. While those who organize this action claim that they wish to break the blockade on Gaza and to bring humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, the true nature of the actions remains dubious, she said. There were appropriate mechanisms for sending aid, Shalev said, calling on the Lebanese government to demonstrate responsibility and to prevent these boats from departing to the Gaza Strip. She added that the organizers of the flotilla have made repeated assertions that they wished to be martyrs. There exists a possible link between the organizers of the ships in question and the terrorist group Hizbullah. As a result, Israel cannot exclude the possibility that terrorists or arms will be smuggled onboard the ships in question, the Israeli envoy wrote. The Shiite group, however, denied it was backing an all-women aid flotilla planning to sail from Lebanon to Gaza, saying it did not want to give Israel a pretext to attack the activists. Hezbullah confirms that it decided from the very beginning to stay away from this humanitarian act in terms of organization, logistic support and participation so as not to give the Israeli enemy any pretext to attack the participants, it said in a statement.
