Israelis claim Athens link with gun shipment
The Israeli Ambassador in Greece insisted yesterday that a Palestinian-bound arms shipment, intercepted by Israeli forces earlier this month, had been partially organized via Palestinian diplomatic channels in Athens. «Palestinians in Greece gave instructions to the ship carrying the arms… according to the ship’s captain,» David Sasson told journalists. The Palestinian diplomatic mission in Athens has emphatically denied any involvement in the affair. On January 4, Israeli commandos seized a cargo ship off the coast of Israel carrying 50 tons of allegedly Iranian-supplied arms bound for Palestinian-ruled territory. Asked to elaborate on these allegations, the Israeli diplomat said EU diplomats had been briefed on the affair and that the Israeli government has provided additional information to Athens.«I can’t say more,» Sasson stressed. «This is still under investigation.» Sasson, though, was adamant while defending Israel’s policy of assassinating suspected Palestinian militants and suicide bombers, saying that it is a «preventive activity» and that it had significantly reduced the attacks in Israel.
