Bid to block Israeli ship continues in Oakland

Bid to block Israeli ship continues in Oakland
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Bid-to-block-Israeli-ship-con...
Kurtis Alexander

August 18, 2014

(08-18) 17:00 PDT OAKLAND -- An Israeli cargo ship at the Port of Oakland sat another day without getting unloaded after activists protesting Israel's military actions in Gaza continued a waterfront picket Monday morning.

The protesters, organizing under the motto "Block the Boat," converged at the International Container Terminal on Sunday to try to prevent the Piraeus from discharging goods. A handful of demonstrators returned Monday.

Though the protesters were gone by 11 a.m., port officials said the longshoremen responsible for unloading the vessel did not come in Monday. Their union representative said they wanted to stay clear of the political fray and had concerns about their safety after several were injured in a 2003 port demonstration.

The boat is managed by Israel's largest shipping firm, Zim Integrated Shipping Services, and has become the target of local activists seeking a boycott of Israeli goods.

Port officials said they were unclear when operations would resume.

The Israel consulate in San Francisco said the vessel was only 32 percent owned by Israeli shareholders, and that the action "will only hurt innocent American workers and the city of Oakland."

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail:kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander