As Israel Fights For Democracy, Self-Defense At Goldstone UN, Iran Terror Ship Captured
Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
http://www.israelnewsagency.com/iransyriaterrorismshipboatweaponslebanonhezbollahgazahamasisraelidfungoldstonereportdemocracywarmossad48041109.html
Jerusalem ---- November 4, 2009 ..... As members of the US Congress were voting 344-36 for Resolution 867, which calls on US President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton "to oppose any endorsement or further consideration of the 'Goldstone Report of the United Nations Israel Gaza War Crimes Fact Finding Mission', IDF Navy commandos were preparing to set foot on an Iran terror weapons ship.
About 100 miles off the Israel Mediterranean coast, IDF troops were opening up dozens of Iran camouflaged cargo containers carrying about 500 tons of weapons bound for Hezbollah.
The Antigua flagged ship, the Francop, was brought into the Israel port of Ashdod in coordination with nearby NATO war ships.
"In a random check of the containers we found a variety of weaponry camouflaged as civilian goods," Israel Defense Forces Gen. Ben Yehuda said. "Clearly these weapons are for terror purposes. There is no doubt they came from Iran, and were headed through Syria to Hezbollah."
Ben Yehuda said that the Iran ship contained about 300 containers, 40 of which contained weapons, which documents on board the ship showed as having originated in the Iran port of Bandar Abbas and were bound for Syria.
Gen. Ben Yehuda said that the ship had picked up the weapons in the Egypt port city of Damietta, and was due to make stops in the Cypriot port of Limassol, in Beirut, and in the Syrian port city of Latakia. Gen. Yehud did not say how the cargo had arrived from Iran to Damietta.
"The Mossad has the capacity to watch these weapons being produced in Iran and then being trucked to a sea port from the sky, the sea and from the ground" said an Israel security analyst. "They know who is making what and where it is going. They know what they ate for breakfast and when they took a piss. This ship was tracked as soon as it became engaged by Iran and Israel will use these weapons now for its own self-defense."
In spite of a YouTube video which was released and clearly shows both the ship and the Iran weapons, Syria Foreign Minister Walid Moalim called the Israel commandos "pirates" and denied the ship was carrying weapons in televised comments made during a visit to Tehran today. The contraband was concealed among sacks of Iran made polyethylene plastics in cargo containers labeled "IRISL: Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines."
The Iran weapons uncovered at sea last night constitute a harsh violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1747 and 1701 that strictly forbid Iran from exporting or trading any form of weapons.
The ship is owned by a German company and based in Cyprus.
The IDF stated that the amount of weapons found was 10 times larger than the Karin A terror ship intercepted in January 2002 which was carrying 50 tons of Iran weapons to Hamas in Gaza.
Israel President Shimon Peres responded: "Iran had promised it would not send weapons, and broke international law. The importance of the ship's capture is enormous and has political value as well. Therefore it is a political event and the seizure is a military accomplishment."
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the weapons discovered on board the ship were intended to harm Israel cities and towns. Moreover, he praised the operation congratulating the Israel army, the navy, and other security agencies involved on the successful counter-terrorist operation.
Among the seized weapons from Iran on display were Katyusha rockets, mortars, hand grenades and crates of ammunition for Kalashnikov rifles.
The raid comes a day after the IDF intelligence chief warned that, despite months of relative calm on Israel's borders, Hezbollah and Hamas are both stockpiling Iran and Syria arms.
Both Israel and the US are very well prepared for a war with Iran. Last week, Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the combined IDF and United States Command exercise, Juniper Cobra.
"This exercise, unique and large in scale, is an expression of the meaningful relations between Israel and the United States" said Netanyahu.
In regards to the Iran terror weapons ship, Netanyahu today said: "The time has come for the international community to apply real pressure on Iran to cease these criminal operations and give backing to Israel when it defends itself against the terrorists and their sponsors."
Meanwhile, 3,000 miles away in New York the Arab oil rich states continue with their PR war of words. The UN General Assembly began debate on the Goldstone Report of the United Nations which found Israel guilty of serious human rights violations during Israel's defensive war with Hamas in Gaza.
The report is the result of a three-month, one sided, biased investigation, led by Justice Richard Goldstone.
Many human rights professionals including former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson see through the political transparency. "I am afraid the resolution is not balanced," said Robinson. "This is unfortunately a practice by the Council: adopting resolutions guided not by human rights but by politics. This is very regrettable."
Israel has stated that it is "appalled and disappointed" by the UN Goldstone Report which was published on September 15, 2009 by the UN Gaza Fact Finding Mission. "The UN Goldstone Report effectively ignores Israel right of self defense, makes unsubstantiated claims about its intent and challenges Israel's democratic values and rule of law."
"Iran is begging for a war with Israel to cover up for their severe domestic problems of poverty, unemployment and a lack of human rights," says the Israel security analyst.
"The weapons already provided to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza from Iran amount to an arsenal ready to last for a few months of war. What the capture of this ship represents is small as to what weapons already exist in Lebanon. If anything, the seizure of this terror ship should say to the supporters of the Goldstone Report in the UN General Assembly that Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah are not interested in peace. That this lethal cargo does not represent 'a right to resist' when it's victims were intended to be Jewish Israel citizens and Arab Christian citizens in Lebanon who are now being occupied by both Iran and Syria."
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