Unarmed?

By Leo Rennert

In the June 2 edition of the Washington Post, reporters Mary Beth Sheridan and Scott Wilson write that "Israeli officials have provided no evidence that the activists were armed." ("Accounts of assault still conflict" page A9).

In a similar vein, and on the same page, Jerusalem correspondent Janine Zacharia tells Post readers that "the raid took place on a ship that was apparently unarmed." ("In Israel, official says Gaza policy won't change").

However, both of these assertions, designed to underscore the peaceful nature of activists aboard the Mavi Marmara, don't jibe with the discovery of arms caches once the ship was escorted into the Israeli port of Ashdod and Israelis were able to inspect its actual contents.

Among its cargo, they found knives, Molotov cocktails, detonators, wood and metal clubs, slingshots and rockets, large hammers, and an assortment of sharp metal objects. They also discovered a supply of gas masks -- another indication that these activists were prepared to engage in a violent confrontation.

Given the presence of such non-humanitarian items aboard the ship, the Post's assurances that the activists were unarmed passengers ring rather hollow, to say the least.