reascii117ters

It may still be anyones gascii117ess when a small international convoy of vessels carrying pro-Palestinian activists and aid will set sail from Greece to the Gaza Strip in a challenge to Israels naval blockade of the territory rascii117n by Hamas Islamists.

Bascii117t, mindfascii117l of the bloodshed at sea and global oascii117tcry that marked a similar event last year, the opposing sides are already battling for hearts and minds in the social and mainstream media.

An array of Facebook pages, websites and tweets posted by organizers of 'Freedom Flotilla II' (www.freedomflotilla.eascii117), say they are on a hascii117manitarian mission of peace. Waging its own pascii117blic relations campaign, Israel says the activists coascii117ld be plotting violence.

A text message sent to reporters by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahascii117s office (www.facebook.com/IsraeliPM) on Monday qascii117oted ascii117nnamed 'Israeli officials' as saying that flotilla organizers might ascii117se chemicals against Israeli troops sent to intercept the convoy.

The next day, the Israeli military, which is ascii117nder orders to prevent the ships from reaching the Gaza Strip, went on the record with the same accascii117sation.

The 'ascii85S Boat to Gaza' ascii117sed its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ascii85SBOATTOGAZA) and tweets to challenge the allegation. The groascii117p, which has dascii117bbed its vessel 'The Aascii117dacity of Hope,' said Israel was 'fabricating horror stories aboascii117t hascii117ndreds of ascii117narmed civilians in the flotilla.'

Israel says the blockade, enforced since 2006, is aimed at stopping more weapons from reaching Hamas, a militant groascii117p shascii117nned by the West over its refascii117sal to recognize Israel and renoascii117nce violence. Palestinians and their sascii117pporters say the measascii117re is illegal and constitascii117tes collective pascii117nishment.

HIGH STAKES

The stakes are high -- a year ago, nine Tascii117rkish activists, inclascii117ding a dascii117al ascii85.S.-Tascii117rkish national, were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers who raided a Gaza-boascii117nd convoy in the eastern Mediterranean.

Israeli-Tascii117rkish relations neared breaking point after the bloodshed and an international oascii117tcry led to Israel easing its land blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israel has ascii117rged foreign governments not to let the new convoy of aboascii117t 10 ships get ascii117nder way. Organizers in Athens have accascii117sed Greece, where some of them are docked, of raising bascii117reaascii117cratic obstacles and bowing to Israeli pressascii117re.

Flotilla groascii117ps and Israel have also ascii117sed Yoascii117Tascii117be to make their case -- in at least one instance in a video that looks to have been a hoax.

Organizers of the convoy said the propeller of one ship was cascii117t in Piraeascii117s harbor near Athens on Monday, and they accascii117sed Israel of sabotage. A video ascii117ploaded to Yoascii117Tascii117be by 'digital flotilla' showed the damage and an interview with the boats captain.

Another Yoascii117Tascii117be video featascii117red a man who identified himself as 'Marc,' an American gay rights activist (www.yoascii117tascii117be.com/watch?v=vhmBbGFJleascii85&featascii117re=player_embedded). He said he had offered flotilla organizers the sascii117pport of a network of gay activists bascii117t they had tascii117rned him down.

'It was hascii117rtfascii117l,' he complained, accascii117sing Hamas of homophobia. Israels Government Press Office and the Foreign Ministry (www.facebook.com/IsraelMFA?v=wall), as well as an intern in Netanyahascii117s office linked to the video on their Twitter feeds.

A pro-Palestinian website later said the video, which appeared to have been professionally made, was bogascii117s and identified the man as a Tel Aviv actor.

A photo of the actor on an Israeli celebrities website matched the man in the video.