Activists preparing the new aid fllotilla to the Gaza Strip charge that Israel sabotaged one of their boats at the Greek port of Piraeus. In a statement, Scandinavian organizers said "hostile divers" had cut the propeller shaft of the Juliano, a ship shared by Swedish, Norwegian and Greek activists. They said the damage can be repaired and that it will not affect plans to sail for the Palestinian territory toward the end of the week. The 10-ship flotilla has already been delayed by administrative problems with Greek port authorities that activists blame on Israeli diplomatic pressure.
Flotilla organizers also denied Israeli reports that they intend to kill soldiers, using chemical weapons. IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Avital Leibovitz charged: "There are radical elements on board the American boat who have said they want to kill Israeli soldiers. We also know that one of the boats is carrying dangerous incendiary chemicals that these human rights militants want to use against Israeli soldiers.” Flotilla activist Dror Feiler told Israel's Army Radio that the charges of plots to kill are excuses for the IDF to justify violence. (CBS [2], Arutz Sheva [3], June 28)
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