By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : The Israeli navy has been ordered to turn back two boats sailing to Gaza by U.S.-based activists in an attempt to challenge Israeli blockade, the Jerusalem Post reported on its website Monday.
It was reported by Ha’aretz Sunday that Israeli military may use force to block the two boats but the Israel Navy has not received any instructions on how to treat the vessels at that time.
The navy officials Monday were quoted as saying the navy had a number of options in dealing with the boats, which have set out from Crete, via a stop-over in Cyprus. The boats, carrying 44 pro-Palestinian foreign activists trying to “break the siege of Gaza”, are due to approach the strip in the second half of this week.
Since Gaza has been declared a combat zone, Israel is within its rights to use force against the seafarers. according to Israeli Foreign Ministry.
According to some officials, Hamas is keen to exploit the initiative by the activists for its political needs, and could try to greet the seafarers with fishing boats, said the report.
The boats are expected to pass from international waters into waters within Gaza territory, unload equipment and pick up Palestinians living in the strip, before setting sail again. A confrontation was not expected as the activists have stated they were not seeking a standoff, the Israeli officials said.