Anti-government protesters blocked sea access at the Haifa port on Thursday, sailing small craft in the port area in order to prevent ships from docking or embarking.
"In a dictatorship, the seas are closed," the "Brothers in Arms" group said by way of explanation. "For decades we have been sailing day and night to guard the main lifeline of the State of Israel. We are reserve soldiers ... who are now choosing to disrupt operations at Haifa port in order to send a clear message to the government: Stop the wild voyage that will cause the State to run aground."
Israel National News spoke with Shai Rosengarten, a former Navy officer who is active in Im Tirtzu.
"The Navy's mission is to ensure maritime access, to protect the sea routes," he stressed. "What the protesters are doing is using small craft to block the port's entrance; it's absolutely insane.
"A merchant vessel is a huge ship with limited maneuverability," he explained. "It takes such a ship a long time to change course. Every day and every hour of docking in the port area is an expensive business that can cost millions of shekels. The protest is delaying the entry of goods into the country, and in order to fully appreciate the implications, you have to realize that we are essentially an island nation. Over 90 percent of our food, fuel, clothing - almost everything we use - is imported by sea. Blockading the ports simply suffocates the Israeli economy."
It makes little difference whether the blockades last hours or days, Rosengarten added. "This blockade disrupts the entire schedule of the port and it costs millions of shekels - which ends up being passed on to regular citizens. Why? Because the shipping companies have no guarantee that something like this won't happen again, so they'll either choose to dock elsewhere, or the insurance premiums will spike, and either way, this will have a domino effect that will negatively impact all Israeli citizens.
"It's shocking that there are Navy veterans, including former senior officers, participating in the blockade," he continued. "I really hope that they come to their senses, because this is not just a short-term blockade of the port, but something that has long-term implications. Shipping companies may very well conclude that they no longer feel confident entering Israel's ports because they don't know when the next demonstration will be and they don't want to incur huge expenses. In the best case scenario, this will make goods more expensive; in the worst case scenario, we could actually face shortages. The closest allegory I can think of is burning down barns full of produce. We're talking about grain, fruits, vegetables, meat, fuel, and clothing, products that no one can do without."
Regarding measures that can be taken to clear this type of naval blockade, Rosengarten noted that, "There is a maritime policing division, which has fast vessels with police officers on board who enforce sailing and fishing rules at the ports. Vessels can be stopped and even confiscated. Their owners can be fined and even arrested. The tools exist - they just need to be activated."