There’s a very useful piece by Jonathan Saul on Reuters AlertNet, which I reproduce below, examining the legal issues around Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza. Its conclusion - yes, it is legal - echoes the key points made by both Israeli international law expert Robbie Sabel and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but some readers may perceive added value in the fact that the article quotes two disinterested experts, in the form of a lawyer specializing in shipping disputes and a professor at the U.S. Naval War college. In any case, this amounts to an excellent rebuttal of media flotillistas like the Financial Times editorial writer who, in the kind of dunderheaded apologia for Hamas that has become all too typical of that newspaper, accused Israel of “a brazen act of piracy.”
Israel has said it will continue a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip despite growing global pressure to lift the siege after a navy raid on a Turkish ferry carrying aid killed nine activists this week.
What is the legality of the blockade and did Israel’s intervention breach international law? Below are some questions and answers on the issue:
