Israel has rejected international calls to end its naval blockade of Gaza and to launch an “independent” investigation into the death of at least nine activists during an Israel Defense Forces raid of the Mavi Marmara, which was part of a flotilla that aimed to break that closure.
“It’s important to understand that this [blockade] is essential to protect Israel’s security and its right to defend itself,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a special meeting of the diplomatic-security cabinet in Jerusalem.
Gaza is an “Iranian-sponsored terrorist state,” and as such it is vitally important to prevent the entry of weapons there, whether by air, sea or land, he said.
He acknowledged that weapons are already smuggled into Gaza through tunnels, but said there was a vast difference between the scope of that operation and the scale and quantity of weapons that could be brought into Gaza by ship if cargo was allowed to arrive unchecked. — jpost.com