Israel warns press: Stay off flotilla

Foreign journalists were warned Sunday they could be refused entrance to Israel for 10 years if they join the aid flotilla to Gaza. The Government Press Office sent a letter to journalists and news organizations telling them Israel regards the flotilla as illegal, Haaretz reported. The letter called the flotilla "a dangerous provocation that is being organized by Western and Islamic extremist elements to aid Hamas." "The flotilla intends to knowingly violate the blockade that has been declared legally and is in accordance with all treaties and international law," the government said. Last year, eight Turkish nationals and one man with joint U.S.-Turkish citizenship were killed when Israeli commandos intercepted a flotilla. Journalists were told that their equipment could be seized if they are found on board the flotilla in addition to being barred from Israel for up to a decade.