Santorini (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Santorini was a fishing boat used for weapons-smuggling, which was captured in May 2001 by the Israel
i Shayetet 13
Naval Commando Unit. This was the first ship caught in an attempt to smuggle weapons to Palestinian-controlled territories. In May 2002, three of the Santorinis crew members were convicted of attempting to smuggle weapons into the Gaza strip
.
's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command and were asked to smuggle arms into Gaza. The crew refused the operation as too risky, but agreed instead to smuggle the arms to a location near the Egyptian Sinai coast, where they would be met by agents of the PFLP-GC. The crew made three failed attempts to rendezvous with the agents in Sinai, and were captured on their fourth.
The Santorini had left northern Beirut On May 6th, 2001, carrying weapons packed in barrels. Their plan was to drop the barrels off-shore, anchored at a pre-determined spot for later collection by Sinai-based agents.
A surveillance plane spotted the suspicious ship, and a Shayetet 13 commando team boarded the 40-ton ship near Rosh Hanikra
, just off the coast of northern Israel’s border with Lebanon.
, as it was then occupied by Israel), and whether the crew knew that Gaza was to be the final destination of the shipment. The fourth crewmember, Va’iza’s son, was acquitted when the court determined he had not participated in the previous three attempts and that it was not proven that he knew the ship’s destination.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13 is the elite naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy. The unit is considered one of the primary Special Forces units of the Israel Defense Forces . S'13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and...
Naval Commando Unit. This was the first ship caught in an attempt to smuggle weapons to Palestinian-controlled territories. In May 2002, three of the Santorinis crew members were convicted of attempting to smuggle weapons into the Gaza strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
.
Operation
The ship’s crew was led by Captain Div Va'iza, a Lebanese citizen, and included two of his relatives, Hussein Va'iza and Fahdi Awadwas. The three were professional smugglers; a fourth crewmember was Va’iza’s son. The crew had been hired by Ahmed JibrilAhmed Jibril
Ahmed Jibril is the founder and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command , part of the left-wing, Palestinian national liberation movement....
's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command and were asked to smuggle arms into Gaza. The crew refused the operation as too risky, but agreed instead to smuggle the arms to a location near the Egyptian Sinai coast, where they would be met by agents of the PFLP-GC. The crew made three failed attempts to rendezvous with the agents in Sinai, and were captured on their fourth.
The Santorini had left northern Beirut On May 6th, 2001, carrying weapons packed in barrels. Their plan was to drop the barrels off-shore, anchored at a pre-determined spot for later collection by Sinai-based agents.
A surveillance plane spotted the suspicious ship, and a Shayetet 13 commando team boarded the 40-ton ship near Rosh Hanikra
Rosh HaNikra grottoes
Rosh HaNikra is a geologic formation in Israel, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos....
, just off the coast of northern Israel’s border with Lebanon.
Shipment
According to the IDF, the shipment contained the following weapons:- 50 Katyusha rocket launchers
- Four Strela 2Strela 2The 9K32 “Strela-2” is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance...
(SA-7) antiaircraft missileSurface-to-air missileA surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
s - 120 RKG anti-tank grenadesRKG-3 anti-tank grenadeRKG-3 is the designation of Russian series of anti-tank hand grenades. It superseded the RPG-43, RPG-40 and RPG-6 series of grenades.-Design:RKG stands for Ruchnaya Kumulyativnaya Granata . When the pin is pulled and the grenade is thrown a four-panelled drogue parachute is deployed by a spring...
- 20 rocket-propelled grenade launchers
- Two 60-mm mortarsMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
- 98 60-mm mortar roundsCartridge (firearms)A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
- 62 TMA-5 land mines
- Eight TMA-3TMA-3 mineThe TMA-3 is a circular Yugoslavian minimum metal anti-tank blast mine. It is very similar in appearance to the TMA-4. The mine consists of a cast circular block of explosive cased in resin reinforced fabric. The top of the mine has three fuze wells which each take a UTMA-3 fuze, and a fourth...
anti-tank land minesAnti-tank mineAn anti-tank mine, , is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles.... - 24 hand grenadeHand grenadeA hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s - 30 Kalashnikov riflesAK-47The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
- 116 gun cartridges for the rifles
- 13,000 7.62-mm Kalashnikov bullets
Reactions
- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command: the PFLP-GC confirmed the shipment was theirs, with Jibril quoted on Israel’s Army radio as saying "This was not the first shipment, nor will it be the last."
- Israel: Prime Minister Sharon said the event was "a very dangerous development" which "emphasises the intentions of the [Palestinian] authority." He described it as an extremely grave violation of all the agreements that Arafat signed with Israel.
- Palestinian Authority – Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo denied any connection to the smuggling attempt, and the PA’s spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh was quoted saying "For sure we have nothing to do with the shipment."
Aftermath
In May 2002, three of the Santorinis crewmembers were convicted, by a military tribunal, of attempting to smuggle weapons into Gaza. The key legal issues were whether the weapons were destined for Gaza (over which the court had jurisdictionJurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
, as it was then occupied by Israel), and whether the crew knew that Gaza was to be the final destination of the shipment. The fourth crewmember, Va’iza’s son, was acquitted when the court determined he had not participated in the previous three attempts and that it was not proven that he knew the ship’s destination.