Dilip Kuner
EUROP is steaming into the Med as Spain and Italy dispatch warships to protect a controversial aid flotilla heading for Gaza after it came under bizarre drone attacks, including one that reportedly blasted ABBA over emergency radio channels.
The Global Sumud Flotilla – a ragtag convoy of 50 boats packed with baby formula, food and medicine – left Barcelona on August 31, aiming to defy Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of the besieged Palestinian strip.
But the protest voyage, manned by international pro-Palestinian activists, has quickly turned into a geopolitical flashpoint, as mystery drones repeatedly harassed the convoy, dropping incendiary devices, jamming radios and – in one surreal twist – blaring ABBA songs over VHF frequencies near Crete.
Now, Rome and Madrid are not taking any chances.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto called the attacks ‘unacceptable’ and ordered two naval frigates, Alpino and Virginio Fasan, to steam in and shield the convoy.
Hot on their heels, Spain sent in its warship Furor, a patrol vessel, after Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez slammed the harassment and demanded ‘respect for international law’ and safe passage for Spanish citizens aboard the flotilla.
“The government of Spain demands that international law be complied with,” Sanchez said. “Our citizens have the right to sail the Med in peace!”
The convoy – made up of yachts, fishing boats and workboats, most under 100 feet – is currently anchored off Koufonisi, a tiny Greek island southeast of Crete, waiting to regroup.
So far, 42 vessels have reached the staging point. The organisers claim the drone strikes began earlier this month off Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, with further incidents reported near Crete on September 24.
The Israeli government has furiously condemned the flotilla, branding it a cover for Hamas operatives, and demanding the ships divert to the Israeli port of Ashkelon, where aid could be ‘properly inspected’ before crossing Gaza’s tightly-controlled land border.
But the activists insist their mission is peaceful and symbolic — and say they won’t be bullied into submission.
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