Israeli gunships headed out to sea on Saturday to stop a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists from reaching the Gaza Strip, the military said, setting the stage for what could become a dramatic showdown on the high seas.
Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said the country was prepared to stop the flotilla “at any cost.”
He called the aid mission a provocation and urged the international community to show understanding for the tough response.
“We really have all determination and political will to prevent this provocation against us,” he said. “I think that we’re ready at any cost ... To prevent this provocation.”
Israeli military officials have said they will intercept the ships, escort the vessels to shore and give the activists the choice of deportation or going to jail. The officials say they hope the situation will be resolved peacefully, but they are prepared to use force if necessary.
Masked naval commandos have been trained for the mission, and Israel has built a large makeshift detention centre in a southern port to process the activists.
The activists, among them a Nobel peace laureate, are trying to draw attention to a three-year-old Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, imposed after Hamas militants violently seized control of the territory.
They say they are carrying tonnes of desperately needed humanitarian aid. Greta Berlin, one of the organisers of the effort, said a total of seven ships were headed to Gaza, after an eighth vessel suffered a malfunction and had to turn back. —AP