“No Love Boat”

August 1, 2010

Photos by Isranet “This is not a theoretical challenge or a theoretical threat. We have already interdicted vessels bound for Hizbullah, and for Hamas from Iran, containing hundreds of tons of weapons…Israel simply cannot permit the free flow of weapons and war materials to Hamas from the sea.

“I will go further than that. Israel cannot permit Iran to establish a Mediterranean port a few dozen kilometers from Tel Aviv and from Jerusalem. And I would go beyond that too. I say to the responsible leaders of all the nations: The international community cannot afford an Iranian port in the Mediterranean…

“Today, I warn of this impending willingness to enable Iran to establish a naval port right next to Israel, right next to Europe. The same countries that are criticizing us today should know that they will be targeted tomorrow. For this and for many other reasons, we have a right to inspect cargo heading into Gaza.

“And here’s our policy. It's very simple: Humanitarian and other goods can go in and weapons and war material cannot…

“…It is very clear to us that the attackers had prepared their violent action in advance. They were members of an extremist group that has supported international terrorist organizations and today support the terrorist organization called Hamas. They brought with them in advance knives, steel rods, [and]other weapons. They chanted battle cries against the Jews. You can hear this on the tapes that have been released.

“This was not a love boat. This was a hate boat. These weren't pacifists. These weren't peace activists. These were violent supporters of terrorism…

“Israel regrets the loss of life, but we will never apologize for defending ourselves. Israel has every right to prevent deadly weapons from entering into hostile territory, and Israeli soldiers have every right to defend their lives and their country.”

Source: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu