Police Sunday morning nipped in the bud an attempt by Arab activists, including Arab Knesset Members, to sail to Gaza from Yafo (Jaffa), adjacent to Tel Aviv, in an attempt to challenge Israeli authority over coastal waters in the region. The action forestalls a confrontation with the Navy as the government takes action to stop ships from docking at Gaza.
Activists have said the boats are laden with food and medicine, but the government fears that the boats will be used to smuggle explosives and weapons into Gaza. Israel's agreement with the Palestinian Authority three years ago, when the IDF withdrew from all parts of the Gaza region, stated that Israel retains sovereignty over the air space and coastal waters until the Palestinian Authority can control terror. The Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza took control away from the Fatah-led PA more than a year ago.
The attempted voyage is the latest chapter in what has become a multi-front campaign by Muslim countries to follow in the footsteps of the 'Free Gaza' movement and challenge Israel's sovereignty over the region. Israel allowed the movement at least three times to dock at Gaza fishing boats that sailed from Cyprus, preventing massive media coverage of the Navy stopping boats with food and medicine and possibly having to use force.
Among the activists on board for the first voyage were Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair, and European legislators.
Sunday morning's action is part of a turnaround in Israeli policy, which began last week when the Navy blocked a Libyan ship from bringing a reported 3,000 tons of food and medicine to Gaza. The ship changed course without resistance and docked at El Arish, Egypt.
However, Israel is bracing for further attempts by Yemeni and Turkish boats headed for Israel. Qatar has called off its scheduled launch of a ship to Gaza for what a Palestinian Authority official said are technical reasons, but it is likely that the Foreign Ministry is pressuring Qatar not to go through with allowing the ship to leave for Gaza. Israel has low-level contacts with the Gulf state.
A campaign by radical Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Jordan to send a boat to Gaza has caused a storm in the Jordanian parliament, where legislators stormed out of a meeting last week during a debate over the issue. Twenty-one opposition members walked out after the parliament speaker postponed talks on a petition to dispatch the boat.
Opposition member Hamzah Mansur charged the government with delaying the discussion as part of an effort to consult with the "Zionist enemy." Jordan has diplomatic relations with Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel relaxed travel restrictions south of Shechem on Saturday and allowed people over the age 50 to leave the city and cross the Hawara checkpoint without army permits.