Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla and detention of 462 activists plainly violated international maritime law. The incident took place from the 1st to the 3rd of October about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast in international waters. Yet, save for some unions, the global shipping community has been silent on the matter.
Not a peep from the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Just dead silence. This specialised agency of the United Nations is normally quick to issue statements whenever a major incident involving maritime safety and security occurs.
Consider what IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said in his address at the opening of the 108th session of the Maritime Safety committee (15 to 24 May 2024): “The safety and well-being of seafarers remain of utmost importance, especially considering the ongoing challenges highlighted by recent distressing events in the Red Sea and off the coast of Somalia.”
Why treat the attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla differently? The Israelis did not want the flotilla to break their blockade of Gaza. Similarly, the Houthis (Ansarallah) are trying to prevent ships passing through the Red Sea from breaking their embargo on Israel. The latter’s interception of the aid flotilla was an act of piracy, the same crime being pulled off by Somali pirates.
Outcry from the ITF, silence from the charities
In a statement issued on 6th October, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) condemned the “unlawful Israeli naval interception” of the flotilla and called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all activists detained. Its affiliate, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), also denounced Israel’s action.
Interestingly, nothing has been heard on the subject from the ITF-affiliated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), the country’s largest and most powerful maritime union. Is AMOSUP’s silence in deference to the Government’s pro-Israel stand?
And where are the charities—the Sailors’ Society, The Mission to Seafarers, the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), and the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA)? Their silence is deafening.
Those abducted and detained by Israeli forces included seafarers: the skippers of the flotilla boats. But there’s another important point. How can anyone advocate seafarers’ rights and ignore the fact that Israel has been trampling on the rights of Palestinians? To do so is moral myopia.
As of this writing, Israel has freed almost all of the activists it abducted, including Greta Thunberg. However, the Global Sumud Flotilla coalition is making fresh attempts to break the illegal blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.
~Barista Uno
