Jerusalem, June 6: Israel will deport all 19 passengers and crew onboard the Rachel Corrie aid ship intercepted by its Navy while trying to breach the country’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
 The aid ship, named after a US activist killed in 2003 as she tried to prevent an Israeli bulldozer from razing a Palestinian home, was intercepted by the Israeli Navy yesterday.
 “They (the activists and crew) will be all deported from Israel within the next 24 hours,” Israel Police Spokesman Micky Resonfeld said today.
 “Malaysian nationals (on board the detained ship are being) transferred to Jordan from where they will go back to their country while the rest will be flying from the Ben- Gurion International Airport,” he told PTI here.
 Out of the 19 people onboard the ship, 11 are pro-Palestinian activists and the rest crew members. Government sources said Israeli government will pay for the deportation of activists and crew members apprehended on the aid ship.
 The 19 people -- all citizens of Ireland, Britain, Malaysia, the Philippines and Cuba -- were sent to an Immigration Authority Facility in Holon city after the Israel Navy intercepted the ship.
 The seizure came just days after Israeli Naval commandos in a predawn raid stormed a civilian flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to blockaded Gaza Strip, killing nine people.
 The European Union, Russia and Turkey have called on Israel to end its blockade of Gaza.
 The international community was closely following the developments and Israeli response after the deadly incident last Monday when the flotilla was stormed.
 Despite international outcry, Israel had reiterated its resolve to stop the Rachel Corrie ship from reaching Gaza.
 The 11 activists had earlier said that they will not resort to violence if the Israeli army intercepts the ship but would try to reach Gaza if left unhindered.
 Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the country’s military and political leadership are at loggerheads blaming each other for the bungled operation against the Gaza aid flotilla.
 Insufficient intelligence available for the operation, which was carried out by elite Naval commandos, also raised eyebrows on Israel’s spy agency Mossad’s role for failing to properly judge the situation.
 Though Israel has been putting up a brave front outwardly justifying its raid on the ship on the grounds of preserving its autonomy, but political leadership and military suspects the other of trying to blame it for the fiasco and consequent crisis, daily ‘Ha’aretz’ reported today.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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