Lebanon aid ship bound for Gaza taken to Israel port

"As a result of the actions taken by the boat crew, an Israel Navy force intercepted, boarded, and took control of the cargo boat, directing it towards Ashdod," the IDF said, adding: "No gunshots were fired on board during the boarding and capturing of the cargo boat." The army said that the crew of the ship would be detained for questioning by the Israel Police and that all humanitarian goods found on board would be transferred to the Gaza Strip. Speaking in Tel Aviv, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the navy "prevented the ship from entering Gaza waters. The ship was directed to el-Arish in Egypt, but the crew decided to turn and try again to reach Gaza." He said that "the navy stopped the ship, and it was being escorted to Ashdod port." On board the vessel, dubbed the "Brotherhood Ship," were nine people, including the former Greek-Catholic archbishop of Jerusalem, Monsignor Hilarion Capucci.

A word on Hilarion Capucci (scroll to 1974):

"Archbishop and Apostolic Vicar Hilarion Capucci is found to be using his official car to run guns and other weapons to the PLO, to be used in terrorist attacks on Jewish civilians. The Archbishop is arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to prison.

The Vatican expresses distress -- not that an Archbishop should be a party to terrorism but that he should be sent to prison for it. The Vatican promises that if Israel releases the Archbishop, he will be sent to a monastery in South America and never permitted to return to the Middle East or be involved in Middle Eastern affairs. Israel accepts this promise, and releases Capucci.

Within a short time, the Vatican breaks its promise to Israel and permits Capucci to return to the Middle East and resume his activities on behalf of the PLO. When Israel points out this breach of promise, a Vatican spokesman says, "We cannot prevent him from loving the Palestinian people".

Capucci later shows up in Teheran, as an accomplice to the imprisonment of U.S. diplomats."

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