Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound boat Marianne late Sunday night, in what the Israeli Defense Forces said was a short operation free of any casualties. The boat is currently en route to Ashdod port.
The Swedish boat, which on Sunday afternoon was 150 nautical miles from the Gaza Coast, is carrying 20 activists, among them MK Basel Ghattas (Joint Arab List) and former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki.
According to the original plan, after boarding the ship, the soldiers were to hand out a letter issued by the Prime Minister's Office, welcoming them to Israel and wondering why they sailed to Gaza and not Syria. "Perhaps you meant to sail somewhere else nearby – Syria, where Assad's regime is massacring his people every day, with the support of the murderous Iranian regime." The activists on the boat were then to be taken to Israel where they would be interrogated. After, they would be taken to the Ben Gurion Airport and flown out of Israel.
Activists aboard the Marianne have said they are unarmed and will not forcibly resist IDF efforts to stop them from reaching their destination.
Their plan was for the boat to approach the Gaza coast within 24 hours, during the day, and not at night, but flotilla organizers said Saturday that the Marianne would arrive either overnight or early Monday morning. The timing depends on sea conditions and the weather, since the Marianne is a small fishing vessel.
Two other boats that set sail Friday from Greek ports with the intent of joining the Marianne were forced to return to port by the Greek authorities, and the Marianne is expected to approach Gaza alone.
Ghattas on Sunday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to allow the Marianne to enter Gaza’s port.
In his letter to Netanyahu and Ya’alon, Ghattas wrote, “As you know, I declared my intention to participate in the flotilla to Gaza out of clear political motivations, because of my opposition to the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip.” Ghattas added that “the blockade is illegal and contravenes international humanitarian law, in that it imposes collective punishment on Gaza residents.”
Ghattas wrote that along with the former Tunisian president, the vessel’s passengers included European parliament members, journalists, academics and writers. “All the passengers are peace activists and their sole purpose is to protest the closure of Gaza and to provide humanitarian aid – medical equipment to Shifa Hospital.”
Ghattas called on the Israeli officials “to order the security forces to allow the entrance of the Marianne and avoid the use of any forces, which undermines the ship’s humanitarian mission.”
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