MOSCOW. June 29 (Interfax) - Israel's Ambassador to Russia Dorit Golender has described as "provocation" the attempt by the Marianne vessel, with humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists on board, to break into Gaza Strip on Monday.
"Yet another 'peacekeeping' action was stopped today, the so-called Flotilla with humanitarian cargo for Gaza Strip. Essentially, it is a provocation and an attempt to put pressure on Israel," Golender said in an interview with Interfax.
"The whole world already knows that all this can be delivered to Gaza in a normal way. Israel assists in the delivery of goods and humanitarian cargoes to the strip: each day approximately 800 large vans go there but someone is very eager to create scandals," she said.
"Certainly, Israel will not allow weapons to be smuggled to terrorist organizations in Gaza Strip, either by sea, or by land," the high-ranking Israeli diplomat said.
Earlier an Israeli army spokesman, Avihai Adraei, said that Israeli Navy ships had detained a Swedish-flagged shipping trawler, Marianne.