Biden: Israel Has Right to Track Gaza Contraband

Vice President Joe Biden says Israel has a right to know whether arms are being smuggled in to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Biden commented yesterday in an interview with PBS' Charlie Rose, which touched on the furor over Israel's attack on a flotilla of ships carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists toward the blockaded territory. Nine people were killed.

Biden told Rose that while Israel's actions dropping troops on the ships can be argued, Jerusalem has a right to know what cargo is headed into Gaza.

A day earlier, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs did not question Israel's motives in trying to enforce its 3-year-old blockade of Gaza. The State Department says Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization.

The United States, unlike most of the world, is not chastising Israel for the raid.

More on the Israeli Raid:

Flotilla Activists Returning to Greece, Turkey
7 Things You May Not Know About the Raid
Washington Unplugged: Israeli U.S. Ambassador on Raid
Israel Raises Concerns Over Relationship with Turkey
Free Gaza Movement Vows Future Missions
Politicians from Both Parties Rally Behind Israel
Photos: Protests against Flotilla Raid