Israel Seizes Gaza-Bound Vessels & Detains 400+
But more boats are now heading to Gaza
HAVANA TIMES – Israel’s Navy has intercepted dozens of ships in international waters, halting efforts by international activists to break Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to the starving population. Video live-streamed by the Global Sumud Flotilla showed Israeli commandos boarding ships and abducting dozens of activists on Wednesday. At least 201 people from 37 countries were taken into custody, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela.
Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek, who is on the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, says this latest attack reveals ongoing international complicity with Israel’s violations of international law. “Israel has been committing genocide for 22 months, and nothing happens,” says Abukeshek.
We also speak with reporter Emily Wilder, who is on board the Conscience, still sailing toward Gaza as part of a later wave in the ongoing campaign to break the siege. She says that it was important for her, as a journalist, to bear witness and make it clear that “Israel does not represent my voice.”
Transcript
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Israel’s Navy has intercepted dozens of ships laden with humanitarian aid, halting efforts by international activists to break Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip. Video live-streamed by the Global Sumud Flotilla showed Israeli commandos boarding ships in international waters and abducting dozens of activists. A spokesperson for the flotilla said at least 201 people from 37 countries had been taken into custody, among them Nelson Mandela’s grandson Nkosi “Mandla” Mandela and the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who recorded this message before the raid.
GRETA THUNBERG: My name is Greta Thunberg. I’m a citizen of Sweden. If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces. Our humanitarian mission was nonviolent and abiding by international law. Please tell my government to demand my and the others’ immediate release.
AMY GOODMAN: The latest numbers show over 440 activists were arrested.
We’re joined now by Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian activist on the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla. He’s joining us from Athens, Greece.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Saif. Can you explain what happened?
SAIF ABUKESHEK: Hello. Thank you.
We have all seen a new action of the genocidal government of Israel, violating international law, violating humanitarian laws, intercepting peaceful, nonviolent ships of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists and day-to-day people carrying humanitarian aid to break the siege and end the genocide and open a humanitarian corridor for the people of Gaza.
We have witnessed, during hours, the actions of the Israeli Navy harassing the ships and causing panic and, in many occasions, using water cannon against the people and the sailing boats, which may have — like, could have resulted in major incidents, also boarding the ships with arms and violently forcing people — kidnapping them from their ships and taking them to Ashdod.
We expect the charge to come, as in previous occasions, to illegally have entered into Israel, which is — good luck to try to explain that, when you intercept ships in international water, kidnap the people, take them by force to your prison and then charge them of entering illegally. This is a new concept that we just have to take from Israel.
What is also more shameful, the complicity that we have seen from several countries and governments, including the Italian and the Spanish, who stood at 150 miles, acknowledging those new — the new distance that has been established by force by Israel, saying that “this, we consider as the exclusivity area, and if there are ships entering into those areas, we will intervene.” So, they just have taken that for granted and accepted that action.
One thing more that Israel tried to impose on land by de facto, such as their military occupation, the rejection of the Court of Justice, the rejection of the resolution against the apartheid world, the rejection of the 1967 borders, which is a long history of resolutions that are made for Israel to comply with, and they continue violating and rejecting.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Saif, so, could you talk about, obviously, these countries you’ve named who are complicit, but what about the countries who’ve responded, who’ve been very, very critical of what Israel has done — among them, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has now expelled all remaining Israeli diplomats from the country?
SAIF ABUKESHEK: Yes, and I think we should focus on the latter part of it, because expressing concern or expressing — or condemning the violations that Israel has continued doing is not good enough anymore. They have been doing this for a long time. Even Spain and Italy and many of the other countries, they did make declarations at the beginning, warning if Israel takes actions or if they try to stop the flotilla or if they make harm, then there will be consequences. And still we have seen nothing. The actions that were taken by the Colombian president are the example to follow.
We are fed up, not only as organizers within the solidarity movement, but also as Palestinians, to continue hearing those declarations and condemning and statements while we are living under genocide for the past 22 months. Yesterday evening, one of the United Nations spokesperson, he was saying that they hope that no harm happen for the people on the flotilla. In a way, it’s shameful, such a declaration to come from a United Nations representative. Very discriminative situation, when we see Palestinians are suffering for the past 22 months genocide and military occupation for the past 78 years, and the concern is on us, the ones who are traveling through the Mediterranean because of the failure of such politicians to take a stand and to basically impose on Israel.
So, those are the actions, such as the president of Colombia to expel the Israeli diplomats, to stop the association agreements with the European Union, to stop all — all, basically, relationships. Why Israel plays in the European Union? When Russia started the war, they were kicked out from the World Cup. Israel has been committing genocide for 22 months, and nothing happens there. So, we need — we need — sorry, yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Saif, I wanted to bring in another person, who’s on a supporting flotilla. While Israeli forces intercepted dozens of aid boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla, there are still more boats, as you said, heading to Gaza. We go now to one of them. It’s called the Conscience, which left from Italy on Tuesday carrying journalists and health workers. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition sent the ship to challenge Israel’s siege and the media blackout. We’re joined now by Emily Wilder, a freelance reporter for Jewish Currents. In 2021, she was fired by the Associated Press after she was targeted in a Republican smear campaign for her pro-Palestinian activism at Stanford University.
Emily Wilder, you are a Jewish reporter. You write for Jewish Currents. Talk about why you’re on this boat called the Conscience.
EMILY WILDER: Yes. Thank you so much, Amy.
I am currently aboard the Conscience, as you mentioned, a vessel organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which is joining this multi-wave flotilla movement toward Gaza in hopes of breaking Israel’s blockade and reaching Gaza’s shore. The mission of the Conscience, in particular, is — it’s mostly medical workers and media workers, and what it’s responding to is Israel’s blockade on coverage, as well as humanitarian aid, of what’s going on in Gaza. It’s responding to Israel’s targeting of civilian medical and media workers, and it’s responding to the silence or even support of these acts by members of both the international press and medical communities.
So, as you mentioned, I am reporting for Jewish Currents on board. I am here to witness this historic moment, this — to document this historic movement and, hopefully, to report from on the ground in Gaza. But I am under no illusions that there is a deficit of evidence of the atrocities, of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, and of the ever-worsening conditions there for everyone there, but including and especially for Palestinian journalists and healthcare workers.
AMY GOODMAN: Emily, we just have 10 seconds, and your voice is a little breaking up. But what does it mean that you are reporting to us on this day, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year?
EMILY WILDER: It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot today. It’s — the fact that on the eve, as Yom Kippur was beginning, Israel intercepted a unarmed, nonviolent, civilian humanitarian mission in international waters, against international human rights, humanitarian and maritime law, just makes it ever more urgent and clear that Israel does not represent my voice and does not — is not acting to protect Jewish people across the world, and that this is — you know, it’s an important — it’s an important mobilization for I and other Jewish journalists to partake in, to make that clear.
AMY GOODMAN: Emily Wilder, we want to thank you for being with us, a freelance reporter for Jewish Currents, on board the Conscience in the Mediterranean Sea. And we want to thank Saif Abukeshek, who serves on the Global Sumud Flotilla steering committee, speaking to us from Greece.