Global condemnations have poured in after Israel stormed the humanitarian vessel Madleen in international waters, which was en route toward the besieged Gaza Strip amid the Israeli genocidal war.
Israeli forces attacked the Madleen Gaza-bound aid ship and abducted the crew as the vessel approached the coastal waters of the besieged Palestinian territory early on Monday.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 international campaigners aboard the Madleen. ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament of Palestinian descent, were also onboard.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed the seizure of the vessel, which included Turkish nationals on board.
‘The intervention of the Israeli forces against the ship Madleen, which set sail to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, including our citizens on board, while it was in international waters, is a clear violation of international law,’ it said.
‘This heinous act by the Netanyahu government, which threatens the freedom of navigation and maritime security, once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terrorist state,’ the ministry added.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot emphasised France’s priority to ‘facilitate the rapid return’ of six of its citizens detained aboard the Madleen.
He said: ‘As soon as the ship was boarded, we requested to be able to exercise our consular protection over them’ through immediate access upon their arrival in Israel, aiming to ‘ascertain their situation and facilitate their rapid return to France.’
Spain’s Foreign Ministry has called in Israel’s Chargé d’Affaires to formally protest the move.
This follows Madrid’s decision in April to cancel a $7.5 million ammunition purchase from Israel amid growing condemnation of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese said that ‘Madleen must be released immediately.
‘Breaking the siege is a legal duty for states and a moral imperative for all of us.
‘Every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together – united, they will be unstoppable.’
A left-wing political group in the European Parliament also denounced the seizure as a ‘blatant violation of international law.’
The 46-member group urged ‘the European Union, the United Nations, and the entire international community to strongly condemn this illegal detention, demand the immediate and unconditional release of all crew members, and urge Israeli authorities to allow immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
‘Solidarity is not a crime, genocide is,’ it added. ‘Free the Freedom Flotilla crew.’
Freedom Flotilla organiser Huwaida Arraf said: ‘All those on board have been abducted. They have been taken against their will while they were sailing peacefully and lawfully in international waters.
‘They were in international waters, sailing towards Palestinian territorial waters, not getting near Israeli waters,’ she added.
‘It needs to be made very clear that Israel has absolutely no jurisdiction, no lawful authority, to take over this vessel.’
After Thunberg appealed for urgent international support and urged friends to put pressure on the Swedish government to release the crew, Stockholm offered vague support for the activists onboard.
The Swedish foreign department said that Thunberg and any other Swedish citizens on the ship will be offered support if they need it.
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas strongly condemned the Israeli regime’s seizure of the Madleen as an act of ‘piracy’.
The ship, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, set sail from Sicily last week carrying urgent humanitarian supplies for Gaza, including baby formula, flour, rice, desalination kits, medical aid, and children’s prosthetics.
This marks the FFC’s second attempt to deliver vital aid to Gaza since May, after Israeli drones attacked their previous vessel, the Conscience, in international waters near Malta.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also lambasted the Israeli regime’s hijacking of the Madleen, which was carrying 12 high-profile international campaigners.
The attack is ‘one of the very significant and horrifying’ developments that the international community is witnessing, spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference on Monday.
‘The attack on this ship is undoubtedly considered to be an act of piracy under international law, but since it is aimed at preventing aid to people who are facing genocide, it also constitutes a crime,’ he added.
The comments came after Israeli forces had attacked the Madleen, from warships as it was approaching the the blockaded Palestinian territory but still in international waters.
‘Connection has been lost on the “Madleen”. The Israeli army has boarded the vessel,’ the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that operates the ship reported on the Telegram messaging app, adding that the troops had also kidnapped the passengers, the Minister noted.
‘Today, we watched a video from a Swedish woman, one of the passengers of the ship, who called on the world to take action and prevent the detention of the passengers aboard the ship,’ referring to comments that had been made by Greta Thunberg, just before the vessel’s interception.
The Iranian Foreign Minister underlined that such developments highlighted the role of international organisations, especially the United Nations Security Council, which must take immediate action to break Gaza’s blockade and prevent the massacre of civilians.
