Israel said it would stop a ship piloted by pro-Palestinian activists, including Greta Thunberg, from breaking its blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Thunberg is one of 12 activists, including a minister of the European Parliament, aboard the Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which departed from a port in Sicily last Sunday. The activists are aiming to break the Israeli naval blockade, which Jerusalem said is necessary to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas, which rules the enclave. In a Sunday Telegram post, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had instructed the IDF to “take any means necessary” to stop the Madleen from reaching Gaza.
“To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back — because you will not reach Gaza,” he said. “Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or aid terrorist organizations — at sea, in the air, and on land.”
Israeli Channel 11 reported that Israeli intelligence assessed the ship wasn’t a threat and explored a variety of options to deal with the ship, one of which involved allowing the activists to dock in Gaza but preventing them from leaving the besieged strip. Ultimately, the government decided that the ship should be stopped and towed to the port of Ashdod, where the activists will be arrested to prevent a precedent from being set of violating the blockade.
According to Israeli sources, Israel’s navy conducted an exercise with a yacht near the port of Ashdod, simulating the boarding of the ship.
Brazilian activist and Madleen passenger Thiago Ávila said the ship’s tracking and communication devices were being jammed roughly 160 nautical miles away from Gaza.
A previous attempt was made by the Freedom Flotilla to break the blockade, but the vessel was attacked by two drones off Malta. The front section of the ship was damaged, but no casualties were reported.
“The Madleen is not only carrying aid. It is carrying the will of people around the world to break the siege, to end the genocide, and to stand with Palestinians in Gaza,” Avila said in a statement released by the organization. “This voyage is a line of solidarity drawn across the sea.”
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The flotilla is in the same vein as the much larger 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which similarly sailed to Gaza in an attempt to break the naval blockade instituted by Israel. Israeli commandos intercepted the flotilla with helicopters and speedboats, boarding the Turkish-flagged MV Mavi Marmara. After dozens of the ship’s 590 crew resisted, 10 passengers were killed and dozens more wounded. The incident sparked a massive international backlash against Israel.
Thunberg has taken up the cause of pro-Palestinian activism following the onset of the war in Gaza. She has been arrested several times for staging protests against the war.
