Israeli warships pursue Gaza-bound French yacht
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Xinhua, July 19, 2011
The pro-Palestinian activists on the Gaza-bound French ship Dignite Al Karama said Tuesday morning that they have been surrounded by Israeli navy.
"Three Israeli navy boats on left, another on the right, 500 meters away and closing," according to the Free Gaza Movement, a main organizer of the Gaza-bound vessels.
Israeli Ha'aretz daily, one of whose journalists is on board the boat, reported that the yacht is some 50 miles away from Gaza coast.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that initial contact has been made with the vessel, and the army " reminded them any supplies they may have on-board may be transferred, legally, through the existing land crossings and the Ashdod Port."
The army's spokesperson office told Xinhua that the navy is " closely monitoring" the lone-ship flotilla.
Despite the recent Gaza-bound flotilla's failure to set sail en masse from several Mediterranean ports, the Dignite Al Karama managed to set sail from the Greek island Kastellorizo Saturday evening, and headed to Gaza, in a symbolic act of protest against what the activists called "Israel's illegal blockade" on the Gaza strip.
Aboard the vessel are French, Canadian and Tunisian nationals. All of the other flotilla boats are still detained in Greek ports, two weeks after they had scheduled to sail.
