Report: US knows Karine A was headed for PA

It is reportedly clear to the US government that the weapons-laden Karine A vessel captured by Israeli naval commandos over the weekend was destined for the Palestinian Authority.

However, the US has refrained from issuing a statement indicating such in order to restrain a potential Israeli military response directed at the PA, American sources told Army Radio.

Omar Akawi, captain of the Karine A, said yesterday PA officials were directly involved in the purchase and smuggling of the 50 tons of arms it carried.

While US officials say privately they found PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's explanation of the Karine A unconvincing, the State Department yesterday refused to endorse Israel's version that the ship was commissioned by the PA. It said it is still studying the incident.

see entire news break (with links) at: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/01/08/LatestNews/LatestNews.41316.html

You don't mention that that occurred after Israel had expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes to foreign countries and that several thousand Palestinians were shot down in cold blood at the borders trying to return to Palestine. Read Benny Morris.

That's silly. Why would Israel expell hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and yet keep a million in Israel's heartland?

You don't mention that the UN asked that the troops be deployed on the Israeli side of the border and Israel refused. They might get in the way of Israeli attack plans.

When was this?

This is after Israel had already invaded Egypt in 1956 and was only forced out by Eisenhower.

Open up a book. Israel was supported by England, France and USA in the war of 1956. Arabs were supported by the Soviets.

And what you call a declaration of war (a state of war already existed) by threatening to stop Israeli ships coming in on the Red Sea is what Israel just actually committed the other day by hijacking an Arab ship in international waters on the Red Sea.

You are contradicting yourself. First you say that Israel started the war, now you say that the state of war already existed. Which is it? And its not what I call a declaration of war. By international war, blockading via sea/ocean constitutes a declaration of war. As for "hijacking", didn't US hijack Arab ships last months? Didn't see you complaining.

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