Israeli police arrested 13 members of Greenpeace who were protesting Sunday outside the Chinese and French embassies in Tel Aviv.
The group, which was protesting the decisions of France and China to conduct nuclear testing, had chained themselves to fences and scaffolding, spray- painted anti-nuclear messages on the sidewalk and blocked entrance to the buildings, police said.
Three of those detained were Israelis. The rest of those arrested were the captain and crew of the Greenpeace ship Altier, anchored off Tel Aviv.
The presence of the Greenpeace ship in Israeli waters was “part of a Mediterranean tour to draw attention in the region to the issue of nuclear testing,” Uri Zik, director of Greenpeace in Israel told Israel Television.
“There is nothing wrong about the Israeli public voicing opposition to nuclear testing, which is high on the environment agenda of the world right now,” Zik added.
Environment Minister Yossi Sarid and Tel Aviv Mayor Ronnie Milo met with Greenpeace activists over the weekend.
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