| Santorini affair | |
|---|---|
| Part of theSecond Intifada | |
 | |
| Planned by | Israeli Sea Corps |
| Objective | Seize weapon-smuggling boatSantorini |
| Date | May 2001 |
| Executed by | Shayetet 13 |
| Outcome | Success |
Santorini was afishing boat used for weapons-smuggling, which was captured in May 2001 by the IsraeliShayetet 13 Naval Commando Unit.[1][2] This was the first ship caught in an attempt to smuggle weapons to Palestinian-controlled territories.[3] In May 2002, three ofSantorini's crew members were convicted of attempting to smuggle weapons into theGaza Strip.[3]
The ship's crew was led by Captain Div Va'iza, a Lebanese citizen, and included two of his relatives, Hussein Va'iza and Fahdi Awadwas. The three were professional smugglers;[3] a fourth crewmember was Va’iza's son. The crew had been hired byAhmed Jibril'sPopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command[3] and were asked to smuggle arms into Gaza. The crew refused the operation as too risky, but agreed instead to smuggle the arms to a location near the EgyptianSinai coast, where they would be met by agents of the PFLP-GC. The crew made three failed attempts to rendezvous with the agents in Sinai and were captured on their fourth.[3]
Santorini had left northernBeirut On May 6, 2001, carrying weapons packed in barrels. Their plan was to drop the barrels offshore, anchored at a predetermined spot for later collection by Sinai-based agents.[4]A surveillance plane spotted the suspicious ship, and a Shayetet 13 commando team boarded the 40-ton ship nearRosh Hanikra, just off the coast of northern Israel's border with Lebanon.[5]
According to the IDF, the shipment contained the following weapons:[5]
In May 2002, three ofSantorini's crewmembers were convicted, by a military tribunal, of attempting to smuggle weapons into Gaza.[3] The key legal issues were whether the weapons were destined for Gaza (over which the court hadjurisdiction, as it was thenoccupied by Israel), and whether the crew knew that Gaza was to be the final destination of the shipment. The fourth crewmember, Va’iza's son, was acquitted when the court determined he had not participated in the previous three attempts and that it was not proven that he knew the ship's destination.[3]
Sharon added that this was a dangerous development and severe violation to the accords on the part of the PNA.