Even though Egyptian authorities have effectively ended the closure of the Gaza Strip with the permanent re-opening of the Rafah crossing, organizers of the blockade-running flotilla are continuing with plans to force a confrontation-at-sea with Israeli troops. For its part, Israeli authorities insist that ships bound for Gaza will continue to be stopped and searched for weapons and directed away from Gaza. One year ago, violence erupted aboard the Mavi Marmara as Israeli commandoes rappelled down ropes from helicopters. Nine died in the melee. Israeli leaders argue that since the new Egyptian government re-opened Rafah, the exercise is clearly designed to provoke confrontation rather than to help the people of Gaza. But on Monday, the Greek organizer told reporters that a number of ships will sail from European ports and assemble in the waters off the Gaza Strip to challenge the Israelis in the third week of June. On Monday, Hizbullah in Lebanon lauded Egyptian officials for opening the Rafah crossing. In a statement, the group called it, “a new gift from Egypt [for the Palestinian people] following the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation between the Palestinian factions.”