Israeli naval commandos intercepted the ship Wednesday in waters off Cyprus and discovered hundreds of crates of rockets, missiles, mortars, anti-tank weapons and munitions. Israel claims the weapons came from Iran and were headed for Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.
Israeli officials said the capture of the ship should help buttress the Jewish state as it fights war crimes allegations at the United Nations and seeks crippling global sanctions against Iran.
"When it comes to explaining the real situation in Israel, this gives us some more recognition that ... sometimes we must take protective measures to exercise our right to self defense," said lawmaker Tzahi Hanegbi, chairman of parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee.
But in the Muslim world, officials worried that Israel might use the ship to divert attention from urgent regional issues.
State-run Iran TV said in a commentary that the "Israeli propaganda" was aimed at diverting attention from allegations of Israeli war crimes during last winter's war in the Gaza Strip. A Syrian foreign ministry official expressed the same view.
Palestinians worried that Israel would pounce on an excuse to avoid peacemaking.
"Since the Israeli leadership and society are not ready for peace, they are using any pretext to shun peace obligations, and one is the issue of the Iranian shipment," said Ghassan Khatib, a spokesman for the West Bank-based Palestinian government.
Israel had not provided evidence the arms were meant for Hezbollah, which denies the weapons were for them.
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