Norway has asked Israel to explain the legal grounds for detaining a Norwegian-flagged fishing boat seized while activists tried to sail with aid to the Gaza Strip, Norway’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry said its diplomats in Israel had been providing consular assistance to five Norwegians who were among the 22 passengers and crew detained onboard the vessel Kaarstein on Sunday. Two Israelis on board were quickly released.
Freedom Flotilla Bringing Medical Supplies to Gaza. Aboard the boats are nationals from 14 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand / Aotearoa, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK and US and include several journalists. #auspol https://t.co/R3Hib1s47E
— justwatching (@justwat18668995) July 29, 2018
The spokesman for the Norwegian foreign affairs ministry in Oslo said:
“We have asked the Israeli authorities to clarify the circumstances around the seizure of the vessel and the legal basis for the intervention.”
A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
Norway wants answers on Israeli seizure of boat trying to break Gaza blockade https://t.co/l4nMrQFyuY
— NYI Politics (@nyipolitics) July 31, 2018
Torstein Dahle, head of the group Ship to Gaza Norway which organized the shipment, said it was the first Norwegian aid vessel to attempt to breach the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
The captain had been struck on the head by Israeli soldiers who ordered him to sail for Israel, but no one was seriously hurt, Dahle said.
Norway has asked Israel to explain the legal grounds for detaining a Norwegian-flagged fishing boat seized while activists tried to sail with aid to the Gaza Strip, Norway's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.#Norway #Israel #Gaza https://t.co/zzoepOUdlH
— Randa HABIB (@RandaHabib) July 31, 2018
He commented:
“This is a peaceful boat; it’s impossible that it can threaten Israel’s security.”
Numerous activist ships have been prevented from reaching Gaza in recent years. An Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla in 2010, in which ten activists were killed, caused a serious rupture in relations between Israel and Turkey, one of Israel’s few friends in the Middle East.
From the Freedom Flotilla, Norwegian Socialist Politician Calls for Sanctions on Israel | The Real News [@TheRealNews]https://t.co/vXi7xlqT42#Norway #Palestine #Gaza #BDS
— Yusuf (@Ano_Nym777) July 25, 2018
Audun Lysbakken, leader of Norway’s opposition Socialist Left party, called on the foreign ministry to protest against what he described as Israel “hijacking” the Norwegian boat in international waters.
Among those detained is Mikkel Gruner, a Danish citizen who lives in Norway and is the Socialist Left representative in the municipal council of the Norwegian city of Bergen. Lysbakken said the activists had legal rights to protest against Israel’s blockade, demanding the release of Gruner and the others.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
I don’t understand how Torstein Dahle, head of the group Ship to Gaza Norway concluded that “no one was seriously hurt”. He admits that “The captain had been struck on the head by Israeli soldiers” and First Nations elder Larry Commodore was sent to hospital for stitches. Also one of the Israeli citizens who were released reported that “people were tasered and hit”. How did Dahle reach this conclusion before the release of the ship and the crew?
https://www.theprogress.com/news/local-first-nations-elder-arrested-by-israeli-navy-en-route-to-gaza/?jwsource=fb