In an act that has been condemned internationally as state piracy, the Israeli military on Tuesday intercepted and boarded a 52-vessel humanitarian flotilla in international waters, detaining over 500 activists and crew who were attempting to deliver aid to the famine-stricken Gaza Strip.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), the largest such effort to break the Israeli blockade, was approximately 60 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza when it was surrounded by Israeli naval vessels.
According to eyewitness accounts from other boats in the convoy, troops forcibly boarded multiple ships, including the Sirius-Haifa, using water cannons and chemical sprays.
On a day when bombardment killed at least 73 people in Gaza City, passengers and crew aboard the boats, following pre-established security protocols, were forced to discard their phones overboard before being taken into custody by the Israeli navy.
The seizure has triggered diplomatic fallout and widespread protests.
The government of Colombia announced the immediate expulsion of Israeli diplomats, with President Gustavo Petro stating the flotilla participants were engaged in “human solidarity activities.”
Italy’s two largest labor unions called for a nationwide general strike, denouncing the interception as “a crime against unarmed people.”
Back in New Jersey, the news was met with a particular kind of fury from Lisa McCormick, who in 2018, challenged AIPAC’s favorite US Senator, Bob Menendez.
McCormick condemned the piracy that she called a “disgraceful seizure” and trained her fire on a familiar target: the state’s senior senator, Cory Booker.
“Booker expressed concern about the starving children and accused Netanyahu of killing American citizens,” McCormick said, “but in between those press releases, he voted against Senator Bernie Sanders’ resolutions to cut off the bombs and bullets and guns that Israel is using to slaughter children.”
Her condemnation echoes a growing, global outrage. In Italy, the nation’s two largest labor unions have called a general strike, labeling the interception “a crime against unarmed people.”
The response from advocacy groups was swift and severe. Michael Greenberg, Director of Climate Defiance, issued a stark condemnation.
“This is not a ‘conflict’ and is not merely a ‘war,’” Greenberg stated. “It is a hideous carnival of sadism and barbarism. An unchecked revenge fantasy. A humanitarian disaster. A genocide.”
The Progressive International, whose co-General Coordinator David Adler was aboard the flotilla and is among those detained, released an emergency statement.
“Israeli Occupation Forces began their violent interception of the 52-vessel Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters as it approached Palestine carrying critical humanitarian aid for Gaza’s starving population,” the statement read.
It further warned that the Israeli government’s reference to the mission as the “Hamas Flotilla” was “laying the groundwork for a punishing response” against the detainees.
The statement from Progressive International also framed the event in broader terms, arguing, “If this impunity is allowed to prevail, it will deliver a dark message… For the world’s oppressed, it will show that imperialism can and will exterminate those who seek their liberation.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the operation on social media, asserting it had “safely stopped” several vessels and that the passengers were being transferred to an Israeli port.
They described the flotilla as violating a “lawful blockade,” using language similar to that employed when Israeli military abducted and assaulted New Jersey native and Amazon labor union founder Chris Smalls, who participated in an aid flotilla a few weeks ago.
On July 26, Israeli military forces intercepted the Handala in international waters and detained the passengers.
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which sponsored the Handala, Smalls was singled out for abuse upon his arrival at an Israeli prison, where he was allegedly choked and kicked by guards.
The coalition noted that Smalls, the only Black person on the ship, was subjected to a level of violence not used against other activists.
After his release, Small noted Booker’s silence in response to his abduction and called the senator “a piece of shit.”
“Multiple vessels of Global Sumud Flotilla – notably Alma, Sirius, Adara – were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” GSF said in a statement.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who is among the hundreds of abducted and was seen sitting surrounded by military personnel in a video accompanying a social media post released by GSF, the organization trying to get aid into Gaza using ships setting sail from ports across the Mediterranean.
“In addition to the boats confirmed to be intercepted, live-stream coverage and communication has been lost with multiple other boats. We are diligently working to account for all participants and crew,” GSF said.
“Despite interception of a few vessels, the Global Sumud Flotilla is 70 nautical miles away from the Gaza coastline and will continue undeterred,” GSF added.
The incident leaves the fate of hundreds of international citizens, including journalists, lawyers, and parliamentarians, in the hands of an Israeli government that is exterminating the Palestinian people in Gaza, where the aid was intended for a population facing catastrophic hunger remains undelivered, blocked at sea.
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