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Arms Ship Gets In Way Of Zinni's Mission
JERUSALEM, Jan. 4 (News Agencies) - In a development that puts U.S. Middle east envoy, Anthony Zinn's peace mission at risk, the Israeli navy has announced it intercepted a ship it claims was allegedly smuggling arms for Palestinian resistance from Iran, news agencies reported Friday.
At a press conference in Tel Aviv, General Shaul Mofaz claimed the freighter, the Karine A, allegedly "belonged to the Palestinian Authority" and was skippered by an officer of the Palestinian navy, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
An aide to Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, denied that his Authority had anything to do with the vessel, while the Israeli foreign ministry said it wants Iran branded a sponsor of terrorism by the international community.
Israeli marine commandos, backed by combat helicopters, boarded the Karine A at night in the Red Sea 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Israeli port of Eilat, Mofaz said. Weapons on the ship reportedly included long-range Katyusha rockets, Law anti-tank missiles, mines and explosives.
Mofaz claimed the link between the boat and the Palestinian Authority is "evident, clear and brooks no denial."
"The Palestinian Authority purchased the boat, its leaders funded the purchase of the boat and the weapons, which were to have been brought into the Palestinian territories," Mofaz claimed. "One cannot deny the contradiction between the Palestinian Authority's discourse for peace and the discovery of this cargo of weapons."
The crew of the boat, overpowered without a shot being fired, was being interrogated by Israeli security services, while the vessel itself was heading for Israel under naval escort, Mofaz added, AFP reported.
In an apparent attempt to rally the international community against Iran, Israel's foreign ministry said, "Since the ship was [allegedly] carrying Iranian weapons, (Foreign Minister Shimon) Peres will next week call upon the leaders of the international community to declare Iran a terror-supporting state."
An Israeli ministry statement also quoted Peres as saying "the seizing of this ship is an important turning point for the Palestinian Authority."
However, the Palestinian Authority has denied any involvement.
"We don't know anything (about the boat), we have nothing to do with this," Arafat's top advisor, Nabil Abu Rudeina, told reporters.
"This is Israeli propaganda intended to sabotage Mr. Zinni's mission," Abu Rudeina told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, referring to the U.S. peace envoy, Anthony Zinni, who is trying to hammer out a ceasefire between the two sides.
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