The passengers were peace activists trying to break the illegal and inhumane blockade imposed on Gaza, persons of conscience unable to remain idle while Palestinian civilians are being subjected to starvation and other horrors unparalleled since World War II. So how did that state – so frequently hailed by Western powers as the “oasis of democracy” in the Middle East and a “civilised” country that respects freedoms and human rights – respond?
By a brazen act of piracy.
At around 2:00 or 3:00am, Israeli forces boarded the Madleen, abducted everyone on board, and locked them up in Ashdod where they were left for hours without food or water. They were then taken to Ben-Gurion Airport where they were subjected to several hours of gruelling interrogation, after which they were accused of entering the country illegally and ordered to sign deportation papers. Four of them signed and were immediately deported. The other eight refused to sign on the grounds that they had been illegally abducted in international waters and brought into that country against their will. They had not violated any law. They remain detained, and the circumstances of their detention and their condition are unknown.
As for the lawbreaker, that is the rogue state that routinely violates international law with impunity, on this occasion, it committed an act of piracy on the high seas, kidnapped civilians, attempted to coerce them into signing false statements, and continued to hold those who refused without charge.
So where is the so-called “international community”, the self-acclaimed champion of human rights and freedoms? The detained activists are citizens of Western powers – the UK, the US, France, Spain, among others. Yet not a peep of protest has been heard from those governments in response to Israel’s degrading and illegal treatment of their nationals.
The Madleen is reportedly officially registered as a British vessel. It is certainly not a military vessel. Nor was it carrying, or even suspected of carrying, weapons or contraband when it was intercepted in international waters. Would it not have been natural for the British government to lodge a formal protest against the flagrant act of piracy? Clearly, all laws are suspended when it comes to Israel.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 19 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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