On his journey to the Gaza Strip, the Global Sumud Flotilla officially exceeded the so -called “Orange Line” which border the “high -risk area” of attacks by Israel: currently it is 78 nautical miles from Gaza. The Israeli broadcaster Kan News He made the Plan of the Israeli army public to stop the over 50 boats from Flottila: the activists will be intercepted, gathered on large military ships and conducted by the Israeli Navy towards the port of Ashdod, where they will then be interrogated and then be deported to their countries of origin. To take control of the ships, some of which could also be sunk, will be the special unit of the Shayetet-13 Navy: according to what is reported by Israeli sources, however, the incursions would have received the order not to exercise the lethal force.
At 8.25 pm (19.25 Italian time) the alt from Israel arrived for the Flotilla boats: according to what reported by the activists themselves, the bordering began with the support of 20 Israeli boats.
What is the high risk area around Gaza where the flotilla is located: the map
During the night, the over 50 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla exceeded the so -called “high risk area”, identified at 150 nautical miles (about 288 km) by the Israeli coast. This high risk area, beyond which the Italian Navy, Spanish and Turkish have abandoned the flotilla, has been defined Orange Line (“Orange Line”) and represents the maximum distance between Gaza and the previous shipments intercepted by the Israeli Navy. Among these also the Madleen ship, which last June attempted to force the naval block to then be intercepted and attacked by Israel about 110 nautical miles from the coast.
It should be remembered that, on the basis of the 1982 Montego Bay Convention (the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea), the territorial waters of a country extend up to 12 nautical miles. In practice, it means that Israel can exercise its sovereignty and exclusive control only on the first 22 km of sea starting from their coasts (even if foreign ships can exercise the so -called harmless passage, that is, crossing territorial waters without causing damage to safety or public order of the state in question).
Beyond these 12 nautical miles, therefore, Israel has no legitimate power to regulate the access and navigation of other boats.
Israel’s plan to stop the Global Sumud Flotilla
After consulting military sources, the Israeli public radio-TV Kan News He published Israel’s plan to stop the Global Sumud Flotilla: first of all, it has been specified that Israel does not intend to allow ships to break the naval block imposed on the Gaza Striscia in 2007 (after the control of the strip passed into the hands of Hamas) to avoid creating a historical precedent.
Being an expedition made up of more than 50 boats, the Israeli plan is to take control of ships using the units of the Shayetet 13: the hundreds of activists, coming from more than 40 countries, will then be gathered on large military ships and conducted by the Israeli navy towards the port of Ashdod, where they will be interrogated and deported. The fact that about 50 boats participate in the Flotilla will not allow their towing: consequently, Israel has already foreseen that some of these could be “sucking at sea”.
What is the Israeli military unit Shayetet-13
The raids of the Shayetet-13 represent the elite body of the Israeli Navy, generally used in what are called “anti-terrorism” missions. They are considered one of the three most important special units of the army: in the past, the men of this unit have carried out a wide range of special missions and are trained to perform naval missions, assault tasks to the coast and also operations by land. In particular, it is the only unit of the Israeli defense forces (IDF) designed to operate everywhere, in any circumstance and with any notice.
In the past, the raids of the Shayetet-13 intervened several times against Flotilla boats, including the Madleen ship last June and the Handala last August. According to reports from Israeli sources, specialists would have been given education not to use lethal force.
