Female Israeli Cadets Being Trained to Confront All-Women Peace Ship

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 minimize 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.

“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.”

For more on this story, visit The Times of London.