Arab League condemns Israel's seizure of Gaza-bound ship

The secretary general of the Arab League has condemned Israel's interception of a boat attempting to break the Gaza blockade, calling it an act of piracy. "I strongly condemn the act of piracy on the high seas that the Israeli forces carried out," Nabil El-Arabi said in a statement. "I call upon the international community, as represented by the Security Council, to take a decisive stance on this act of piracy," El-Arabi added. French ship Dignity /Al-Karama, which was bound for Gaza, was carrying food aid and medical supplies and was not carrying any weapons. It was going to help the Palestinian people, El-Arabi added. On last Tuesday, Israeli naval commandoes took over the French ship as it approached the Gaza Strip to break Israel''s blockade of the Palestinian coastal sliver. Israel forces also abducted pro-Palestinian activists on board the boat in international waters. The vessel left the Greek island of Kastellorizo late on Saturday following a troubled stay in Greece, after Athens imposed a ban on the departure of any ship planning to join the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla II.