Assault on the High Seas
In the pre-dawn darkness of Thursday, January 4th, the Karin A, a 4,000-ton freighter, was sailing in international waters along the coast of Saudi Arabia. As the ship headed north towards the Suez Canal, it was approached by a force of Israeli helicopters and gunboats. Under the cover of the attack crafts’ guns, Israeli commandos being carried aboard both the boats and the helicopters scrambled aboard the Karin A, and within minutes had subdued its crew and taken control. Searching the ship, they found 83 crates wrapped in waterproof material, each filled with an abundance of arms and ammunition. After informing their superiors, the Israeli commandos began guiding the ship to the Israeli naval base at Elat-Aqaba.
Massive Arms Cargo
Israel has reported finding 50 ton of weapons and ammunition aboard the Karin A. These include “Katyusha” rockets, Russian heavy artillery rockets with a range of 20 Kilometers; "Strella" anti-aircraft missiles, shoulder-launched heat seeking weapons that home in on the engines of airplanes and helicopters; “Sagger“ anti-tank missiles, of the type used by Hizbollah with telling effect against Israeli forces in Lebanon; and a variety of mortars, mines, explosives, sniper rifles, shotguns and more.
In a potential armed confrontation with Israel, such weapons could have swung the balance completely. While the guided missiles would have prevented Israeli tanks and aircraft from operating as freely as they have been doing inside Palestinian territory, the long-range “Katyushas” would have placed Israeli town and city dwellers under the same threat of bombardment felt by their Palestinian counterparts.
Israel Accuses Arafat
In a press conference held on Friday afternoon, the commanders of the Israeli Army and Navy announced the seizure of the ship, and then went on to accuse Palestinian President Yasser Arafat of being the intended recipient of the arms. The massive arms shipment, they alleged, was proof that the Palestinian Authority intended to escalate the fighting, and was a clear violation by official Palestinian authorities of agreements with Israel.
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Mofaz stated the basis for the accusation was that the “Karin A” was owned by the Palestinian Authority, and that her Captain was a high-ranking officer in the Palestinian naval police. Mofaz also stated that “the financing of the whole operation was done by the leaders of the Palestinian Authority”.
Little Credence To Israeli Accusation
Israeli Statements seemed aimed at discrediting the Palestinian National Authority and President Yasser Arafat, at a time in which the ceasefire ordered by the Palestinian leader has brought back American pressure on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territory and resume the peace process. However, there is still insufficient proof to tie in the arms ship with the Palestinian authority, much less President Arafat himself.
In May 2001, the Israeli army also captured an arms ship bound for Gaza. The “Santorini”, was also found to be carrying “Katyusha” rockets, anti-aircraft missiles and plenty of arms and ammunition. Israel was immediately suspicious of the Palestinian National Authority and President Arafat’s PLO. However, interrogation of the crew, who were professional Lebanese smugglers, revealed that the arms had been sent by Ahmed Jibril’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, not by the PLO. It could well be that the arms shipment, if intended for the Palestinian coast, was not intended for Arafat’s Palestinian National Authority.
National Authority Accuses Israel of Provocation
The Palestinian National Authority on Friday denied any link to the weapons ship, and said the Israeli announcement was an attempt to discredit it at a time when U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni is in the region trying to end the ongoing bloodshed.
“We know nothing about this ship which the Israelis are talking about and we are going to investigate to see what's going on though, we consider it Israeli propaganda in order to sabotage the mission of General Zinni,” Mr. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, President Yasser Arafat’s adviser told reporters in Ramallah.
Palestinian Culture and Information Minister Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo dismissed the Israeli allegations as a “theatrical game” aimed at torpedoing Zinni's truce efforts. “We insist that the PNA has nothing to do with this ship, these allegations are false,” he told reporters after President Yasser Arafat meeting with Mr. Zinni in Ramallah.
“We welcome a third party participation in the investigations,” the minister added. “We will start our own investigations and we want the Americans to be involved” he said. (www.albawaba.com)
Illustrations –Israeli army pictures reportedly taken aboard the “Karin A”
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
