The "Sumud" flotilla was scheduled to arrive in the waters off the Gaza Strip in the coming days, after departing from the coast of Sicily. This flotilla was intended to be the largest of its kind, involving nearly 1,000 vessels and about 10,000 participants from 70 different countries. Some of the vessels were seized by the Navy in a well-planned operation; part of the participants were turned back and remained in Greece, while two terror activists were handed over to Israel and will stand trial. Despite its success, future flotillas are expected to pose a significant operational and diplomatic challenge. Until the current operation, the IDF contended with previous flotillas through boarding actions and towing vessels to Israeli shores, as seen in last year’s flotilla where hundreds of Shayetet 13 commandos took control of the ships and arrested participants. This method has obvious drawbacks: there is the potential for violent resistance by flotilla activists that endangers IDF soldiers and risks harming the activists themselves, which could lead to diplomatic incidents and severe image damage to Israel, as occurred during the Mavi Marmara incident.
The alternative we propose for dealing with the flotilla is the use of non-lethal means, such as low-intensity electromagnetic radiation to disrupt electronic and electro-optical devices vital for operating the vessels. By disabling all systems on the flotilla ships—including propulsion, communication, and navigation—without physical harm to humans, these systems can prevent ships from continuing their movement and leave the flotilla activists without the ability to move at sea. These means are also effective against sailboats, as electromagnetic interference also affects the boats' communication and navigation systems, thereby significantly disrupting the flotilla's ability to function properly.
It is important to note that such systems, such as the ADS - Active Denial System or the MEDUSA system developed by the US military as a "soft" measure to neutralize eye-level threats, have been demonstrated in several cases to be effective without causing temporary or permanent damage.
We believe that the advantage of this alternative, in its current or future application against provocative flotillas of this type, is that it prevents or at least minimizes the friction between IDF soldiers and flotilla activists. In doing so, it reduces risks, prevents perceived image or diplomatic confrontations caused by injuries to activists, and eliminates the need to tow and store a large number of vessels and terror activists in Israel.
The "Sumud" flotilla was scheduled to arrive in the waters off the Gaza Strip in the coming days, after departing from the coast of Sicily. This flotilla was intended to be the largest of its kind, involving nearly 1,000 vessels and about 10,000 participants from 70 different countries. Some of the vessels were seized by the Navy in a well-planned operation; part of the participants were turned back and remained in Greece, while two terror activists were handed over to Israel and will stand trial. Despite its success, future flotillas are expected to pose a significant operational and diplomatic challenge. Until the current operation, the IDF contended with previous flotillas through boarding actions and towing vessels to Israeli shores, as seen in last year’s flotilla where hundreds of Shayetet 13 commandos took control of the ships and arrested participants. This method has obvious drawbacks: there is the potential for violent resistance by flotilla activists that endangers IDF soldiers and risks harming the activists themselves, which could lead to diplomatic incidents and severe image damage to Israel, as occurred during the Mavi Marmara incident.
The alternative we propose for dealing with the flotilla is the use of non-lethal means, such as low-intensity electromagnetic radiation to disrupt electronic and electro-optical devices vital for operating the vessels. By disabling all systems on the flotilla ships—including propulsion, communication, and navigation—without physical harm to humans, these systems can prevent ships from continuing their movement and leave the flotilla activists without the ability to move at sea. These means are also effective against sailboats, as electromagnetic interference also affects the boats' communication and navigation systems, thereby significantly disrupting the flotilla's ability to function properly.
It is important to note that such systems, such as the ADS - Active Denial System or the MEDUSA system developed by the US military as a "soft" measure to neutralize eye-level threats, have been demonstrated in several cases to be effective without causing temporary or permanent damage.
We believe that the advantage of this alternative, in its current or future application against provocative flotillas of this type, is that it prevents or at least minimizes the friction between IDF soldiers and flotilla activists. In doing so, it reduces risks, prevents perceived image or diplomatic confrontations caused by injuries to activists, and eliminates the need to tow and store a large number of vessels and terror activists in Israel.