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Source: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02192851.htm
Biden Backs Israel's Right to Stop Gaza-Bound Ships
(Reuters) Ross Colvin - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday backed Israel's right to board ships bound for Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling. "Israel has an absolute right to deal with its security interest," Biden said in an interview on PBS's "Charlie Rose" show. "They (Israel) have said, 'Here you go. You're in the Mediterranean. This ship - if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we'll get the stuff into Gaza," Biden said. "What's the big deal of insisting it go straight to Gaza?" he asked. "It's legitimate for Israel to say, 'I don't know what's on that ship. These guys are dropping 3,000 rockets on my people,'" he said, referring to Hamas, the Islamist movement which rejects interim peace terms with Israel and has regularly fired rockets into the Jewish state.