Israel has demanded that the Vatican advise a group of Catholic nuns against boarding an all-female crewed aid ship bound for Gaza, reports say. Israel has also informed the U.N. and the Security Council that it intends to exercise its right in preventing the Lebanese ships from reaching Gaza, Naharnet reports citing Haaretz.
An official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry was reported as saying that Israel is carrying out its diplomatic efforts in order to avert having to board the aid ships by force.
In a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Israel warned that the attempt by the organizers to sail from Lebanon and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza 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,” wrote Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev.
Haaretz said that the Israeli navy and intelligence are preparing themselves for thwarting the arrival of the ships, with military sources stressing that ships coming from Lebanon and Iran will not be allowed to go near Gaza shores.
However, a senior Lebanese official told Haaretz that, regardless of the procedures required, Lebanese law did not permit the transport of weapons on board ships.
Lebanon’s Minister of Labor Ghazi Al Aridi told Lebanon’s Al-Nahar that no official “request regarding the flotilla had been submitted,” saying that Lebanon would not “allow anyone to preach us over our support of the Palestinians, but there are rules and they must be followed.”
SIC: CTHAS