Sinking the Gaza Flotilla

Shurat HaDin
Israel Law Center
Press Release
16 May '11

May 16, 2011: It was almost one year ago that Islamic extremists from Turkey and anti-Israel NGOs joined forces to organize a naval flotilla seeking to violate Israel’s coastal blockade of the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip. The terrorists' mid-sea confrontation with the IDF resulted in the deaths of nine armed militants and serious injury to numerous Israeli soldiers.

Now the same groups are once again planning to breach the Gaza blockade. On June 12th numerous boats loaded with contraband and up to a thousand passengers, including members of the EU Parliament, intend to set sail for Gaza from Greece, Turkey, France, Ireland and Cyprus. The organizers are hoping, once again, to provoke a massive public confrontation with the IDF and compel our soldiers to use force to detain them. They are hoping the IDF will kill some of the Flotilla participants and create another international condemnation of the IDF. In addition, there is a real concern that weapons, money and other contraband might be smuggled on the boats to the Hamas terrorists. Recall that in January 2002, the IDF seized Arafat's “Karine A” ship that was loaded with 50 tons of Iranian-supplied weaponry making its way to Gaza.

Instead of sitting passively by and waiting for another international diplomatic crisis to play out into the Islamic extremists' hands, Shurat HaDin is embarking on a campaign to try and legally block the extremist from setting sail. Every boat that travels from any country's seaports or marinas needs to have maritime insurance. Without insurance a ship is not permitted to set sail. Yet, the maritime insurance companies insuring the boats utilized by the Gaza Flotilla surely have no idea that the passenger boats that they are indemnifying are being used by the organizers to run the coastal blockade, violently challenge the IDF and smuggle weapons into Gaza. No legitimate insurance company nor its shareholders would reasonably agree to insure an expedition like that.

As such, we have begun to send letters placing the maritime insurance companies on notice concerning the Gaza Flotilla and warning them that if they provide insurance (a necessary component in the effort to smuggle contraband to the terrorists) that they themselves will be legally liable for any future terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas. The letters are being sent to all the maritime insurance firms in Europe and Turkey. We are cautioning them that if they knowingly insure one of the Flotilla boats providing material resources to Hamas, they will also be indemnifying the Hamas rocket crews for all future Qassam missile attacks as the terror victims will surely sue them! We are hoping that when their legal departments review our letters and inform the corporation's officials of the potential massive liability being risked they will act to ensure that none of their ships are being utilized by the terrorists.

The major Israeli daily newspaper ran an article in this past Weekend's Yediot Aharonot. The headline reads: "Israeli Legal Group Warns International Insurance Companies -- INSURE THE FLOTILLA TO GAZA? WE'LL SUE YOU."

The government and the IDF are extremely adept at adopting to new military threats and battlefield suprises. They do not seem to be able to get a handle on the new way the delegitimization game is being played globally. The escalating attacks on Israel from all directions requires new and innovative responses before its too late and we are simply overwhelmed. Its time for those who support the Jewish State to start to employ some ingenuity and passion and begin to fight back.

For an article in the London Times.

For a copy of the Yediot Aharonot article (in Hebrew).

For a copy of the letter to a Turkish insurance company.

If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
.