Monday, July 28, 2014

Why is there an Israeli blockade of Gaza?

I don't know, Jon. Might have something to do with the arms ships that have been seized in coastal waters over the years. (Information below is courtesy of Wikipedia, CNN and Jewish Virtual Library, but you can find all sorts of articles around the web about each of these. You have a good research team, Jon; use them.):

The Santorini - March 2001

The Karine-A - January 2002
  • 122 mm Katyusha rockets.
  • 107 mm Katyusha rockets.
  • 80 mm mortar shells.
  • 120 mm mortar shells.
  • Anti-tank missiles.
  • Anti-tank mines.
  • Sniper rifles.
  • AK-47 ("Kalashnikov") assault rifles.
  • Ammunition.
  • Two and a half tons of pure explosives.

The Francop - November 2009
The seized weaponry consisted of 9,000 mortar shells, 2,125 107-mm Katyusha rockets, 685 rocket fuses, 690 122-mm rockets, 21,100 F-1 fragmentation hand grenades, and 566,220 AK-47 rounds.

The Victoria - March 2011
  • C-704 anti-ship missiles
  • 230 mortar shells, caliber 120mm
  • 2,270 mortar shells, caliber 60 mm
  • 2 radar systems manufactured in England
  • 2 rocket launchers
  • 2 hydraulic mounting cranes for the radar system
  • 66,960 7.62x39 rounds (Commonly used in the AK-47).


The Klos C - March 2014
A large quantity of long-range missiles, identified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as M-302s, were found concealed under bags of Portland cement on the ship, which was then directed to berth in Israel.[4] With the Klos C secured by the IDF, and with the cooperation of its captain, the Panamanian flag it had been sailing under was lowered, and the flag of Israel as well as the Israeli Navy ensign were raised. The freighter was then escorted to Israel in a convoy.[5] After docking in the port city of Eilat, the Israelis unloaded the Klos C's cargo and discovered an additional 181 mortars, and 400,000 rounds of ammunition meant to be used in assault rifles. 

Not all of these were headed for Gaza, of course; some were for other peace-loving farmers...



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