Suez Canal Authority issued an official statement on Sunday stating that all kinds of ships, whether commercial or military, are permitted to cross the Suez Canal unobstructed. It was due to recent debates online since a video surfacing containing footage of the Israeli warship in the Suez Canal waterway had gone viral. This becomes the first response from the Suez Canal Authority regarding this circulation of such footage of Egyptians watching as an Israeli ship passes in the Canal.
In the film, the Israeli vessel heading down from the Mediterranean towards the Red Sea flies the Israeli flag and also the Egyptian flag because, according to the laws governing the Suez Canal, the vessels are supposed to fly both a national flag and that of the host country in which they are passing. In the face of increasing tensions related to the Gaza conflict, the Authority reaffirmed its commitment to the international agreements that impose open transit on all ships crossing the canal regardless of their national origin.
Is Israeli warship in the Suez Canal permitted during war?
The Suez Canal Authority pointed out the Constantinople Convention of 1888, which provides that all vessels, “be they commerce or war,” whatever their nationality, are allowed to pass through the canal without any tolls. The treaty declares that the canal shall not be closed to any vessel during war. The latest statement by the Authority is part of broader reactions from Egypt, which has been attacked on social media, especially since anti-Israeli feeling intensified in regard to events in Gaza.
Egypt was the first Arab country to formally sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Social media has really put the country on their toes, as most people are complaining about the seeming lack of direct actions taken against Israel during the Gaza crisis. The Egyptian military has also issued a statement rebuking social media claims that they are helping Israel in military operations in Gaza.
Meanwhile, a German cargo ship carrying explosives, the MV Kathrin, made its way through controversy by docking in Alexandria to set sail later for Turkey. According to claims by a pro-Palestinian legal group, it was heading to Israel. The group has since prompted European authorities to deny the ship’s entry at various ports.