Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH — The Israeli Navy Saturday seized control of the Gaza-bound “Estelle” ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break the Israeli blockade. The Israeli army's spokesperson office said in a statement that the soldiers took control of the ship peacefully, without force and directed the ship to Israeli Ashdod Port. The statement said that six Israeli vessels surrounded the ship and masked soldiers boarded the ship about 40 miles away from the Gaza Strip's coast. “When passengers made it clear that they would not cooperate or accept the invitation to sail to the Ashdod Port, it was decided to seize the vessel and bring it to the Ashdod Port,” the statement added. The ship, sailing under a Finnish flag, set sail in June and has stopped at numerous European ports trying to drum up support and publicity. The vessel, carrying over a dozen activists, took on additional food and passengers off the coast of Crete earlier this week. Among the new passengers are five European parliamentarians: Ricardo Sixto Iglesias from Spain, Sven Britton from Sweden, Aksel Hagen from Norway, and Vangelis Diamandopoulos and Dimitris Kodelas from Greece. The ship is carrying soccer balls, theater equipment, musical instruments, medicine and construction materials. Senior Palestinian officials slammed taking over the ship. Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Prime Minister, said that “the Israeli occupation forces, in broad daylight, committed a crime against international peace activists taking part in the freedom sail.” Fayyad said in a statement that “the government vehemently condemns this crime, which once again illustrates Israel's disregard for international rules, laws and resolutions.” Mustafa Al-Barghouthi, chairman of the Palestinian National Initiative party and a member of the Palestine Legislative Council, said that the move is “an Israeli piracy and an aggression against the sovereignty of Finland and the rights of the international peace activists.” Israel loosened its Gaza blockade to defuse international criticism after its commandos killed nine Turks in Mavi Marmara on May 2010. The Palestinian Ministry of National Economy said that the Palestinian Authority lost $1,9 billion due to siege on Gaza Strip.
