(Updated): Status of ‘Rachel Corrie’ Ship Unclear Off Gaza Coast

by AlterNet

Update (12:55 am EST): About an hour ago, the Jerusalem Post reported that the Rachel Corrie had been boarded by Israeli authorities.
The Post now reports that the ship has been “intercepted”:

Navy ships have intercepted the boat Rachel Corrie approximately 55 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, and are calling on it to divert to Ashdod, activists on board the boat said Saturday morning.
Earlier reports had suggested that the Rachel Corrie had been boarded, but the army and the boat’s passenger’s later said this was not true.
“They are being followed,” said Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza, which is one of the groups behind the effort to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Earlier in the night, boat co-sponsor ‘Perdana Global Peace Organization,’ a Malaysian NGO, stated on its website that the ship’s passengers had agreed to let international inspectors search the ship before it proceeded to Gaza. The statement said that the activists “welcome a UN inspection to examine our cargo, which is solely construction and educational materials and medical supplies, but we believe this can be done at sea or in Gaza.”