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Israeli prime minister says arms shipment a war crime
Amsterdam News.Net
Saturday 7th November, 2009
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran's efforts to smuggle arms to Hezbollah on a cargo ship are a war crime.
The Israeli Navy intercepted the ship, the Antiguan vessel Fracop, and seized its cargo and crew on Wednesday, after being tipped off by U.S. intelligence. "This was a ship carrying a massive amount of weapons that Iran tried to ship to Syria, and from there to Hezbollah," Netanyahu said Tel Aviv Thursday.
"The bulk of the shipment included rockets intended to hurt Israelis and kill as many civilians as possible. This constitutes a war crime. The UN General Assembly should have investigated and condemned this crime and the UN Security Council should have convened a special session to debate this incident," the Israeli prime minister added.
"Iran intends to commit this war crime again in the future. The international community should be focusing on this, but instead, the world condemns Israel and the Israel Defense Forces and undermines our right to self-defense," Netanyahu said, referring to this week's decision by the UN General Assembly to endorse a report which calls for investigation of incidents by the Israeli military and Hamas as war crimes.
"It is time the international community, at least the more responsible countries, recognize the reality and refrain from promoting a lie," Netanyahu said.
Iran has denied it was behind the shipment of arms, while Hezbollah rejects the arms were destined for it. Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Mualem said Friday the ship was carrying commercial cargo from Syria to Iran, not weapons.
The seizure of the ship co-incided with a public relations campaign by Israel which circulated its embassies and consulates around the world encouraging its diplomatic personnel to highlight the arms shipment.
Overseas missions were asked to conduct media interviews and brief host countries, implicating Iran. The Foreign Ministry, according to a Haaretz newspaper report, asked embassies and consulates to issue a statement saying "Iran is continuing to smuggle weapons to terror organizations in the guise of legitimate international trade."
Separately when ship, Fracop, was seized again on Friday after it was released by Israel on Thursday. The ship was taken into custody of the Lebanese Navy after it entered Lebanese territorial waters bound for Beirut.
Lebanon Navy and UN officials boarded the ship and carried out an investigation, wile intelligence agencies interviewed the crew about its original cargo, where it originated from, and where it was destined.  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
chink_chopper
11-07-09, 11:39 AM |
Attempts to transport arms a war crime says Israel
It perfectly justifies for Israel to attack Iran and “obliterate” it from the global map. (Hillary Rodham Clinton)
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nregistered
11-07-09, 12:27 PM |
Regime change needed in Iran
chink_chopper;167220:
It perfectly justifies for Israel to attack Iran and “obliterate” it from the global map. (Hillary Rodham Clinton)
The mullahs have had their time and done dirty deeds to Iran!
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whoopie
11-07-09, 02:34 PM |
There will be no American soldiers left to steal any oil if they keep killing each other ,lol.
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secret slave
11-07-09, 03:53 PM |
Refrain from lies? that be a whopper foundation
salaam,
Harry Truman & Chamin Weizmann did not own Palestine Kingdom in map makers dream world,
because even though it can print it and sells it did not prove containment of TRUTH in claims of accuracy begins at a foundation.
feeamanellaah
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Noname1
11-07-09, 07:30 PM |
war crime
The real War Crime is Israel who made a War Crime in Gaza.
Noname
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Anonymous
11-08-09, 12:06 AM |
Israel genocide in Palestine is aided by western press
Because they are the same people, or benefited from the bloodshed there.
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J.J
11-08-09, 08:39 AM |
Iran is the head of Terror, to attack Iran IS THE BEST
Israel have the right to Defend there self from this terror organizations, those that condemns Israel and the Israel Defense Forces, Iran continuing to smuggle weapons to terror organization the world should know that this is war crime.The real War Crime is Iran.
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