Israeli Navy Intercepts Aid Ship Headed for Gaza

Days after Israel's deadly flotilla raid, there has been another confrontation between the Israeli Navy and a humanitarian aid ship off the coast of the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip.

The Israeli navy intercepted another ship carrying a group of pro-Palestinian activists who tried to break the blockade on Gaza. The crew received a radio warning from the Israeli military.

The ship ignored the message and was seized by naval commandos. But this time, no one was hurt.

"We completed compliance boarding on the ship," said army spokeswoman Avital Liebovich. "There was no violence, no resistance whatsoever."

It was a much different outcome than on Monday, when 9 activists were killed during an Israeli raid on a flotilla of six ships carrying humanitarian aid. Israel says it was self-defense. Video shows that Israeli commandos were beaten by activists wielding clubs, and the army displayed dozens of knives confiscated from the ships.

"I'm happy to say that the result today shows us clearly that we are talking about peace activists, human rights activists, unlike the other flotilla which turned out to be a group of terrorists," she said.

Monday's deadly flotilla raid sparked outrage around the world and Turkey condemned Israel for the action and has threatened to cut ties. But Israel has rejected international demands to lift the blockade, saying it cannot allow the Palestinian militant group Hamas that rules Gaza to rearm with rockets and missiles.

The latest ship to arrive was sponsored by an Irish aid group, which described Israel's capture of the vessel as "piracy on the high seas."

Karzai Replaces Top Officials Following Taliban Attack

Afghanistan's president has replaced his interior minister and intelligence chief following an attack by Taliban militants on a national peace conference.

A statement issued Sunday by the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the explanations the two officials offered for the attacks were not satisfactory.

The statement said Mr. Karzai accepted the resignations of Interior Minister Hanif Atmar and National Directorate of Security chief Amrullah Saleh.

It said he appointed Munir Mangal as acting interior minister and Ibrahim Spinzada as acting intelligence chief.

Taliban militants fired rockets Wednesday as President Karzai addressed some 1,600 delegates to a three-day peace assembly, or jirga in Kabul. No delegates were injured in the incident. Afghan officials said two of the militants were killed and a third was captured.

Meanwhile, Mr. Karzai on Sunday ordered a review of the cases of all prisoners linked to the Taliban and other militants.

The review is the first step the president has taken towards fulfilling the demands of last week's landmark peace conference on ways to end nearly nine years of war.

President Karzai's office said the review committee will include officials from the Supreme Court, a government-backed reconciliation commission, the Justice Ministry and other judicial officers.

The assembly's final resolution calls for the release of prisoners who have allegedly been detained by Afghan and foreign forces without sufficient evidence.

The resolution also calls for the formation of a commission to lead efforts to open negotiations with the Taliban, who have vowed not to engage in peace talks until all foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

The resolution also says insurgents who want to take part in the peace process must cut their ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. It says militants who join the peace process should be removed from the U.N. blacklist.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.



Israel Rejects UN Proposal for Gaza Probe

Israel has rejected a proposal from United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to establish a multinational commission to investigate a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers Sunday that he had informed Mr. Ban of his decision. He said he told the U.N. chief an investigation of facts needed to be carried out "responsibly and objectively."

Israel's U.S. ambassador, Michael Oren, told "Fox News Sunday" Israel had the ability and right to conduct its own investigation.

Mr. Ban proposed establishing a panel led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer to investigate last Monday's Israeli commando raid that killed nine international activists.

The raid outraged Turkey and many other nations. Eight Turkish citizens and one American of Turkish origin were killed in the Israeli raid.

The Mavi Marmara ship was part of an aid convoy that was trying to break a three-year-old Israeli blockade and deliver aid directly to Gaza.

On Saturday, Israeli forces peacefully seized control of the Rachel Corrie, another aid ship trying to reach Gaza.

Israel continues the process of deporting international activists from the Rachel Corrie. Israeli forces escorted the ship to the port of Ashdod Saturday after intercepting the vessel as it approached Gaza.

The Irish aid ship was named after Rachel Corrie, an activist with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement. The 23-year-old Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip while trying to keep Israeli soldiers from bulldozing a Palestinian home in 2003.

During Israel's Sunday cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a group of activists boarded the Mavi Marmara in a way that allowed them to avoid a security check. He said they had the sole intention of initiating a violent confrontation with Israeli soldiers.