Greece bars boats from sailing for Gaza

ATHENS, Greece — Greece on Friday banned ships heading to the Gaza Strip from leaving Greek ports, and a vessel carrying several dozen Americans which left port without permission was asked to return.

A flotilla of nine Greek and foreign-flagged vessels and several hundred activists have said they want to break Israel's sea blockade and deliver aid to the Palestinian territory.

Greece's Civil Protection Ministry said coast guard authorities had been ordered to take "all appropriate measures" to implement the ban. It also said the "broader maritime area of the eastern Mediterranean will be continuously monitored by electronic means for tracking, where applicable, the movements of the ships allegedly participating" in the flotilla.

Witnesses said one of the boats, dubbed the Audacity of Freedom and carrying several dozen Americans, had left port Friday afternoon. Activists said on their Twitter feed that they had been intercepted by the Greek coast guard.

A Greek government official said the boat had set sail without the permission required of all boats to leave port, and that the Coast Guard had asked it to return. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was still evolving.

Israel has said it will thwart any effort to breach the sea blockade of Gaza, which was imposed on the Palestinian territory after Hamas militants overran it in 2007.

An Israeli raid on a similar flotilla last year killed nine activists on a Turkish ship and each side blamed the other for the violence.

On Thursday, an Irish ship, the MV Saoirse at the Turkish coastal town of Gocek, said it had to abandon plans to set sail because of what it called Israeli sabotage. Earlier this week, activists said Israeli agents damaged the propeller of a Swedish ship in the Greek port. Israel has refused AP requests for comment on the allegations.

[morningjo]

Apparently mnldanesi is the only person with anything intellegent to say. This is not about religion or Hamas or any of that nonsense... its about an illegal blockade of Gaza and the country of Greece being complicit. It's cruel, inhumane and pathetic.

[rocketjl]

Whoops....

[Turbidite]

I see that the Act of Attainder is alive and well in Greece.

[mnldanesi]

Please explain - Are the waters on the coast of Gaza Israeli waters or not? If not, the Israelis would be in violation of international law by intercepting a vessel in either international or Palestinian waters, correct? If the Israelis claim they are Israeli controlled waters, then Israel is occupying Palestinian territory, again in violation of international law, correct again?

Also, what does the UN say about this situation?

I believe if the above questions are honestly debated, one will quickly see the Israeli/US position on the flotillas is baseless and absurd, bouyed only by enormous monetary influence.

[Void-Master]

In truth, the Palestinians of Gaza are occupying Israeli territory -- and abusing the privilege daily through great tolerance by the Israelis.

[mnldanesi]

Void-Master: So, you believe Gaza is Israeli territory? Wow! Could you explain that further?

[Void-Master]

Does the Israeli Navy have submarines? If so, do those submarines carry torpedoes?

[TheKnowerseeker]

Why do we support a group of people who are the biggest racists/bigots on the planet, whose racism/bigotry is an inseparable part of their *religion*, who believe that God says they're the only humans and everyone else are animals: the Orthodox Jews?

[waltkovacs1]

as an observant jew, i take umbrage at that comment

i am not a racist or a bigot

but you may very well be a jew hater

[Spyder222]

John and others really don't understand a world where Jews aren't as easy to mess with as they used to be or shoot back. Really rankles them.
If Arabs loved their children more than they hated Jews, there wouldn't be a problem in Gaza.

[john5673]

It is a waste of time for the humanitarians around the globe to change any thing in Gaza and 2 million inhabitants, who are living their lives in the concentration camp without freedom, humanity and human face. It is all happening only because of the super power America and her puppets in the western world. Without their help, Israel and her barbarism and brutality cannot continue for a single day.

[Hartmund]

To change anything in Gaza for the and 1,5 million inhabitants, who are living their lives in the totalitarian rule off Hamas = NO freedom, humanity and human face. It is all happening only because of the Islamists stupidity and the support off the theoretical stat off Iran and their puppets - HAMAS!
Crash Hamas and the Palestinians can live without Hamas brutality tomorrow!

[HikerDan]

Dude... Your Imam is telling you really stupid things...

[kiljare]

Good, maybe it will keep these idiots from killing themselves.