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Israel may use force to halt boat trying to break Gaza siege
By Amos Harel
Tags: Israel, Gaza, siege, Cyprus

Defense officials favor forcefully blocking two boats which a group of U.S.-based activists plan to sail to Gaza to protest what they call "the Israeli siege on the Strip," Haaretz has learned.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Israel is within its rights to use force against the seafarers.

The subject of the Greek-flagged boats which the Free Gaza group said it would sail from Cyprus to Gaza this week prompted defense officials to hold a series of discussions; they said allowing the ships to reach the Gaza coastline could create a dangerous precedent. But the Israel Navy has not yet received any instructions on how to treat the vessels.
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According to some officials, Hamas is keen to exploit the initiative by the activists - including Israeli professor and activist Jeff Halper - for its political needs, and could try to greet the seafarers with fishing boats.

The officials believe that Hamas views the drive as an opportunity to underscore the suffering of the civilian population because of Israel's policies. A position paper by the Foreign Ministry's legal department says Israel has the right to use force against the demonstrators as part of the Oslo Accords, which names Israel as responsible for Gaza's territorial waters.

An official in Jerusalem said the Foreign Ministry's paper means that security forces could detain the vessels upon entry to Gaza's territorial waters, arrest the passengers and haul the ship to Israel, where the detainees could be interrogated.

The organizers have reportedly raised almost $300,000 to finance the operation and recruited 60 people to sail on the ship. These include activists from several countries as well as journalists.

In conversations with their Israeli counterparts, Cypriot officials have expressed concerns about the boat departing from their shores, but say they can do nothing to prevent it. According to the information that has reached Israel, however, Cyprus is not the only point of departure under consideration; the ship might also sail from Turkey or Alexandria in Egypt.

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  • U.S. leftists confirm plans to sail to Gaza to break siege
  • Israeli prof. joins 40 activists sailing to Gaza
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      1.   Don`t Pull A Putin 06:31  |  Yosemite 17/08/08
      2.   Picking apart agreements 06:55  |  Natallie Durson 17/08/08
      3.   Reliant Mermaid 07:49  |  Robin 17/08/08
      4.   The Left and the Islamofacsists. 07:52  |  Jean Van Daem 17/08/08
      5.   Detain the activists 08:06  |  judith 17/08/08
      6.   Ship of fools 08:26  |  Ruth Broch 17/08/08
      7.   Terrorists Lie To Amreican College Students using Saudi Money.... 08:31  |  David P 17/08/08
      8.   Yosemite`s Right 08:50  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/08/08
      9.   I hear the Israeli Prof Jeff Halper is on this boat 08:59  |  Chafeeka 17/08/08
      10.   Insist The Ship Sail 09:03  |  Ron 17/08/08
      11.   Sink these clowns 09:11  |  ScotGuy 17/08/08
      12.   DURSON What agreement? Gazans bomb Israel,Israel blocks Gaza 09:19  |  PETER SM 17/08/08
      13.   Learn from the Russians 09:20  |  Edifice 17/08/08
      14.   Judith - how about a whiff of reality in Gaza 09:26  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      15.   Going to protest no Red Cross visits to Gilad? Human shields? 09:38  |  PETER SM 17/08/08
      16.   PAL BRIT.NO Peace,NO Recognition of Israel.The reality in Gaza! 09:54  |  PETER SM 17/08/08
      17.   Don`t bother to respond to 09:58  |  Robert Haymond 17/08/08
      18.   let them in... 10:00  |  bored 17/08/08
      19.   Entry of Lefties in Gaza -The ALTERNATIVE 10:03  |  Rachel 17/08/08
      20.   #14Palestinian Brit 10:03  |  Just a Jew 17/08/08
      21.   Peter Sim - Human Shields 10:04  |  Palestinian Brits 17/08/08
      22.   ScotGuy- life is a joke? 10:07  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      23.   Ruth - Israeli waters? 10:11  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      24.   Misguided? 10:12  |  Survivor 17/08/08
      25.   PalBrit 10:13  |  x-ray 17/08/08
      26.   Misguided fools 10:18  |  x-ray 17/08/08
      27.   Mark of Lewiston 10:22  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 17/08/08
      28.   For Israel it is loose/loose, for Arabs it`s a shame 10:25  |  Eini 17/08/08
      29.   let them in quietly and leave them there 10:46  |  Ethan 17/08/08
      30.   # 17 re Durson - same applies to Dutch 10:48  |  ChanahS 17/08/08
      31.   Ignore them 10:55  |  ChanahS 17/08/08
      32.   PALBRIT Trying to deflect what the Pals do right now. 11:11  |  PETER SM 17/08/08
      33.   We should ease up - Gaza is not a ghetto 11:20  |  Bruno 17/08/08
      34.   Ship can be lawfully seized by IDF when it leaves Cypriot waters 11:21  |  Dr. L. Brnd 17/08/08
      35.   we will not enter Israeli waters or territory 12:19  |  mariapalestina 17/08/08
      36.   anyone here remember... 12:24  |  samos 17/08/08
      37.   Israel is well within her rights ..... 12:25  |  Dagma 17/08/08
      38.   Actually, there are 12:50  |  Jackie 17/08/08
      39.   Boat to gaza. 13:20  |  Joe Briscoe 17/08/08
      40.   Natallie Durson`s post more important word 13:35  |  Israeli citizen 17/08/08
      41.   Just a Jew from ? 14:13  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      42.   No food or medicine....xray 14:19  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      43.   NO 32 - all human rights violations are criminal acts 14:24  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      44.   MariaPalestina - good luck! 14:32  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      45.   Deja vu all over again? Winograd? 14:33  |  Manny Goldstein 17/08/08
      46.   Israel may use force ??!!! What a Surprise !!! WAAW 14:41  |  Jacques 17/08/08
      47.   Jackie - 14:55  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      48.   halt boat 15:03  |  pamela 17/08/08
      49.   Actives 15:06  |  pamela 17/08/08
      50.   Well mariapalestina, I Would Like to See Your Earlier Post 15:16  |  Reader 17/08/08
      51.   Palestinian Brit 15:19  |  pamela 17/08/08
      52.   Bruno, That Would Be the Right Thing To Do, but... 15:19  |  Reader 17/08/08
      53.   PalBrit objects to Israeli import duty 44 15:22  |  x-ray 17/08/08
      54.   Good point Pamela 15:25  |  x-ray 17/08/08
      55.   Pamela - why so bitter? 15:30  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      56.   Pamela - obviously from Essex..... 15:37  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      57.   Pamela...by the way... 15:40  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      58.   Palestinian Brit 15:41  |  pamela 17/08/08
      59.   Objection to import duty.... 15:43  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      60.   Palestinian Brit 15:57  |  pamela 17/08/08
      61.   Let them sail - and land in Gaza 16:06  |  Tzfonit 17/08/08
      62.   35 Mariapalestina,bravo! May the divine powers go with you ! You 16:12  |  lakshmi 17/08/08
      63.   PAL BRIT Take responsibilty for your own actions. 16:15  |  PETER SM 17/08/08
      64.   Palestinian Brit 16:19  |  rich 17/08/08
      65.   Pamesla - Two thirds of Israeli families are starving? 16:19  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      66.   Palestinian Brit 16:25  |  rich 17/08/08
      67.   Pamela 16:28  |  wibism 17/08/08
      68.   sabotage the boat before it leave Cyprus 16:30  |  zionist forever 17/08/08
      69.   Pamela 16:32  |  Tareq 17/08/08
      70.   Yes Tzfonit, let them sail and let them land! 16:33  |  British Brit 17/08/08
      71.   Pamela, by the way 16:33  |  wibism 17/08/08
      72.   Pal Brit 16:33  |  rich