Captain of Norwegian boat en route to Gaza slams ‘horrific’ Israeli seizure

The captain of a Norwegian boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists en route to Gaza accuses Israeli authorities of violating the law by boarding the vessel, which was attempting to break the maritime blockade on the Strip.

“We were arrested in international waters and we were closer to Egypt than Israel,” the boat’s captain Herman Reksten says when he returned to Norway this morning after being held for three days in an Israeli prison.

“Israel has broken all the rules; it’s horrific that they board a Norwegian ship in international waters and force it to moor in Israel,” he tells Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

On Sunday, the Israeli navy seized the “Freedom” and arrested the 22 passengers who were attempting to breach the blockade on Gaza. Israel defended its use of force during the takeover, saying that “reasonable force was employed to overcome the passengers’ resistance.”

Norway has asked Israel to explain the circumstances surrounding the arrests and “the allegations of excessive use of force,” a Norwegian government spokesman tells AFP.

— with AFP