African state blocks ship allegedly carrying weapons to Israel
Namibia has blocked a vessel suspected of carrying explosive materials bound for Israel from docking in the southern African nation’s ports, the state-run newspaper New Era reported on Tuesday.
The MV Kathrin requested permission on Friday to stop at the port of Walvis Bay, Namibian Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab told the outlet. She said it was unclear where the ship had sailed from, but the BBC claimed it had departed Vietnam and was supposed to dock in Namibia before sailing north on a suspected route to the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar.
“Upon receiving reports that a vessel may be carrying weapons intended for Israel… I requested the relevant authorities not to allow the vessel MV Kathrin to dock at the Walvis Bay port,” the minister said.
She added that the decision aligns with Namibia’s stance on Israel’s ongoing hostilities in Gaza, as well as the African nation’s “obligation not to support or be complicit in Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, [and] its unlawful occupation of Palestine.”
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October. The fighting started with a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group, which left around 1,200 people dead. The group also took more than 200 hostages, some of whom were later released through prisoner swaps or were rescued by the Israeli army.
Last week, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) called on judges to “urgently” rule on his request for arrest warrants in respect of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including Hamas leaders linked to the war on Gaza. Karim Khan filed the request in May, arguing that the men were complicit in “war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed in Israel and Gaza.
In December, Namibia’s neighbor South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, an international body that is separate from the ICC. Israel has denied the allegations, accusing Hamas of using civilians in Gaza as human shields.
On Sunday, Dausab said she had advised the Namibian Port Authority and the Security Ministry to prevent MV Kathrin from entering Namibia’s waters in line with its international obligations.
