A unit of female Israeli army cadets was undergoing specialist training by elite commandos last week in preparation for a showdown at sea with an all-women Lebanese peace ship due to sail for Gaza.
The Israelis, all conscripts aged between 18 and 20, are being trained to board the Mariam, which is being loaded with humanitarian supplies at the Lebanese port of Tripoli before running the Israeli blockade.
Israel is determined to avoid another public relations fiasco following the boarding of the Turkish passenger ferry Mavi Marmara last month, in which nine activists died. It plans to use commandos to stop the Mariam and divert it to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where its cargo will be taken by road to Gaza. It hopes the all-women boarding party will minimise bad publicity.
Witnesses at the commandos’ Mediterranean base near Haifa in northern Israel reported that hardened members of the “shayetet” (the flotilla), who are more familiar with secret cross-border missions, appeared bemused by their young charges. Young women could be seen being taught to handle speedboats, prepare for emergencies at sea and clamber on to larger ships.
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“The commandos are confused,” said one source. “These frogmen are trained to carry out sensitive military missions. Last month they were sent to deal with the Turkish civilians. Now they’re asking them to deal with ladies, and all of it live on television.”
The Mariam (Mary in Arabic) will fight its side in the propaganda war over Israel’s three-year siege of Gaza by carrying on board Haifa Wehbe, 34, a former beauty queen and one of the Arab world’s best-known pop singers.
Interviewed on Arabic news channels last week, Wehbe appeared close to tears as she announced her intention of joining the ship, declaring: “I’ve already prepared my will. This is a serious matter.”
Under pressure from the United States, the Lebanese government has so far refused permission for the Mariam to set sail. Another aid ship, the Naji al-Ali, is also preparing to carry journalists and members of the European parliament in defiance of the blockade.
The Israeli government appears to be most worried at how to handle the all-female crew. “They are better than us at this business of public relations,” said a defence source. “Maybe girl soldiers will let us finish off this business in a more elegant way.”