Diverted Gaza aid ship slowly approaches Egyptian port (Roundup)

Jul 14, 2010, 14:43 GMT

Tel Aviv/Cairo - A Libyan-commissioned ship carrying aid for the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip inched slowly toward the Egyptian port of el-Arish Wednesday, after the captain apparently agreed not to breech Israel's naval blockade of the coastal salient.

Shadowed by Israel navy vessels, the Amalthea had resumed its voyage in the morning, after spending most of the night immobilized with what its captain said was engine trouble.

By late afternoon local time the ship was around 13 nautical miles (24 kilometres) north-west of el-Arish, but making only 1.3 knots (2.5 kmh.)

Two of the shadowing Israeli ships were sailing on the Amalthea's port side, to ensure it did not change course in the direction of Gaza.

Officials in el-Arish said they had received instructions to prepare the port for the ship's arrival.

A military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv said the Amalthea's Cuban captain had promised the Israel navy he would not continue to Gaza and instead sail to el-Arish, but the Israeli military was not taking any risks and would continue to monitor the vessel.

The London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat daily reported that Israel has held indirect negotiations with the sponsors of the voyage to get the ship to change course for el-Arish.

The organizers had previously said they were determined to reach the Gaza Strip, in defiance of the Israeli blockade and measures to prevent them from doing so.

Early Wednesday morning Israel Radio broadcast a radio exchange between people identified as a navy officer and the captain, who claimed the vessel was barely moving because its main engine was broken and all the crew were busy repairing it.

The officer warned him that he was responsible for the well-being of the passengers, which include about 15 pro-Palestinian activists, most of them Libyans, except for one Nigerian, one Algerian and one Moroccan. The crew of 12 are from Haiti, Syria and India.

The ship, commissioned by Libya's Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, is carrying 2,000 tons of aid for Gaza and sailed from Greece Saturday.

Jamal al-Khodari, the chairman of Gaza's Popular Committee against the Siege on Gaza, denied the organizers had decided to abort their attempt to breach the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.

But he charged the Israel Navy was disrupting the ship's radio traffic and his group was no longer able to make contact with the crew.

Israel placed the Gaza Strip under blockade four years ago, after militants from the salient staged a cross-border raid and snatched an Israeli soldier, who is still being held captive in the enclave.

While Israel relaxed the siege last month and now allows in most civilian goods, the naval blockade remains in place, as Israel says it will now allow weapons, or materials used in weapons production, to enter the Gaza Strip, which is governed by the Islamist Hamas movement.