Israel violates international law and unlawfully hijacks the Madleen, a boat carrying symbolic humanitarian aid to the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza enduring and resisting forced starvation in the midst of the ongoing US-Israeli genocide.
The BDS movement condemns Israel’s criminal attack and abduction of the 12 activists on board. Unless stopped, Israel will implement its “final solution” of starving Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s “total impunity” is truly unprecedented. Its attack on the Madleen off the Palestinian coast is emboldened by the deep complicity of not just the US but also all western states that continue their diplomatic, trade, military, financial, academic and other forms of partnership with apartheid Israel even 20 months into its genocide.
Its ongoing massacres against Indigenous Palestinians aside, Israel got away with murder, literally, after massacring aid activists aboard the Mavi Marmara in 2010 and got away with an international crime in reportedly bombing another humanitarian boat, the Conscience, this last May off the European Union’s coast. Israel feels it can now attack, abduct, and destroy similar humanitarian missions anywhere, with impunity.
To end this impunity and Israel’s illegal attacks of ships in international waters, states have to stop the vessels that continue to fuel Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people by carrying military and dual-use supplies, including energy, to Israel. Stop the genocide fleet.
Armed, funded, and shielded from accountability mainly by the colonial West, Israel is simultaneously destroying the foundations of international law, bringing about a might-makes-right era unseen in decades. This poses a serious threat to humanity at large.
The most impactful way to help end Israel’s genocide and dismantle its decades-old regime of settler-colonialism and apartheid is by amassing sufficient people power to end the complicity of states, institutions and corporations.
As prominent climate justice activist Greta Thunberg, one of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, stated: “People in Gaza don’t need anyone to come and save them, they need us to amplify and support their struggle for justice, that we end our complicity, put pressure and cut ties with those committing human rights violations.”
To begin to end complicity, we call for strengthening BDS campaigns against complicit institutions and corporations and intensifying pressure on States to:
- Impose targeted lawful diplomatic, trade, academic, sports and other sanctions on Israel.
- Impose a comprehensive two-way military embargo and energy embargo.
- Support the prosecution of war crimes through international mechanisms—no more exceptionalism, no more impunity.
- Expel Israel from the UN and from all international and regional trade, sports, academic, professional and other forums.