JERUSALEM — A defiant Israel enforced its 3-year-old blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza on Saturday, with naval commandos swiftly commandeering a Gaza-bound aid vessel carrying an Irish Nobel laureate and other activists and forcing it to head to an Israeli port instead.
The bloodless takeover stood in marked contrast to a deadly raid of another Gaza aid ship last week. It was unlikely, however, to halt snowballing international outrage and demands that Israel lift or at least loosen the devastating closure. The blockade confines 1.5 million Palestinians to a small sliver of land and allows in only basic humanitarian goods.
For now, the confrontations at sea are likely to continue.
The organizers of Saturday’s sail said they planned to dispatch as many as three more ships in coming months and that four captains already have volunteered for the missions.
“What Israel needs to understand is that nothing is accomplished with force,” said Greta Berlin of the Cyprus-based Free Gaza group, which sent the latest aid vessel, the Rachel Corrie.
Israel said it would block any attempt to reach Gaza by sea, in order to prevent weapons from reaching the Iranian-backed group. “Israel . . . will not allow the establishment of an Iranian port in Gaza,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the same time, Israel signaled Saturday that it is considering easing the blockade, although officials provided no details. Israel and Egypt closed Gaza’s borders after Hamas seized the territory three years ago from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The takeover Saturday of the 1,200-ton ship was over in minutes. After trailing the vessel for six hours across the Mediterranean, Israeli commandos boarded it from speed boats around noon, in international waters about 20 miles from Gaza, and forced it to sail to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Footage from an Israeli aircraft showed the passengers sitting quietly in two rows on the top deck. A man described by the Israeli military as the captain got up, raised his arms and walked toward the soldiers. The military said the crew of the Rachel Corrie dropped one of the ship’s ladders to make it easier for them to board.
The activists could not be reached for comment because communication with the ship was cut during the raid.
The 11 passengers, including Mairead Corrigan, who won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize, and eight crew members will be deported.
Conflict in context
The Gaza blockade, meant to dislodge Hamas, initially enjoyed the tacit support of many in the international community. Under the restrictions, Israel bars virtually all exports and most imports, including construction supplies.
Critics say the restrictions have been counterproductive, strengthening Hamas, wiping out tens of thousands of jobs and hampering U.N.-led efforts to rebuild what was destroyed in Israel’s war on Gaza 16 months ago.
