Israel seizes ship carrying activists

JERUSALEM – Israeli naval vessels on Tuesday seized a French-flagged protest boat carrying 16 pro-Palestinian passengers as it attempted to break through Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli officials said the takeover occurred without the kind of violence and bloodshed that erupted more than a year ago, when nine Turkish activists on a similar protest flotilla were shot and killed by Israeli commandos who came under attack by passengers as the troops dropped onto the vessel from military helicopters.

The latest protest ship, called Dignity-Al Karama, was rerouted to Israel’s Ashdod port, where passengers and crew were detained. Israel vowed to transfer any humanitarian supplies carried by the ship to Gaza by land, but passengers told Israeli soldiers in a radio communication that they had no cargo.

Israeli officials expressed relief that the takeover ended without resistance but condemned the protest flotilla as a provocation. Following last year’s raid, which led to international criticism over Israel’s use of deadly force, Israel relaxed restrictions on the import of most household goods into Gaza, though construction materials are still limited.

Government officials defended the naval blockade as necessary to ensure that weapons and fighters are not smuggled into the seaside enclave, which is controlled by the militant Islamist group Hamas.