Israeli FM says Israel behind Greek government’s decision to ban Gaza flotilla
The organizers of the Gaza-bound flotilla said Sunday that all operational ships will set sail on Monday, despite the numerous delays the flotilla activists had encountered in the past week.
The decision to depart on Monday was made following several days of deliberations on the subject, and the exact number of ships due to sail is still unknown.
Eight of the ten ships due to participate in the flotilla were delayed over the weekend in various Greek ports, following an order by the Greek government to bar the departure of the vessels. The activists as well as members of the leftist opposition in Greece accused the Socialist government of caving in to Israeli pressure.
Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis said that the Greek government is preventing the departure of the vessels in order to avoid what he called to be a ‘humanitarian disaster’ which will result from a violent confrontation with the Israeli navy. The foreign minister also promised that he will continue to negotiate with the UN in order to find a solution to the flotilla crisis.
The Greek ban applies to all Greek and foreign vessels in Greek ports heading to Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday that the Gaza flotilla activists, who had accused Israel of purposely sabotaging their ships, are just trying to place the blame for their failure on Israel.
“The activists are trying to blame someone for their failure – no doubt they have watched too many James Bond films,” Lieberman told the Israeli Army Radio in an interview. “There is an attempt to evade responsibility for their propaganda, as well as a lack of support from countries around the world,” he claimed.
Lieberman also acknowledged that Israel was behind the Greek government’s decision to forbid the flotilla from sailing to the Gaza Strip. “Things do not just happen on their own,” he claimed, adding that “the Quartet, the governments of Greece, and Cyprus object to the flotilla, understand the needs of Israel, and are acting effectively.”
