Rights Group Denounces Nations ‘Enabling Genocide’ As Activists Seized
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned Israel’s navy for seizing Gaza-bound activists carrying aid, denouncing Western nations for enabling genocide by supporting the blockade.
CAIR denounced Israeli regime’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which carried humanitarian activists and supplies for Palestinians in Gaza.
“Once again the Israeli occupation has demonstrated that it will kidnap humanitarian activists and engage in piracy in international waters, all to maintain its lawless blockade of the Palestinian people,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s deputy executive director.
Mitchell added that “every nation that pays lip service to international law should condemn this illegal attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla and take their own steps to forcibly break the siege of Gaza.”
He criticized Western governments for “enabling Israel’s genocide” and said “anti-Palestinian racism and the influence of anti-Palestinian lobby groups clearly explain their ongoing complicity.”
CAIR “applauds” the flotilla activists’ “courage,” Mitchell said, demanding their release and urging international action against what he called Israel’s crimes.
Israeli forces arrested several activists, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, after intercepting the flotilla.
Untiled the moment of interception, the flotilla streamed live video for safety as it approached the enclave.
Lawyers onboard the vessels are documenting Israeli actions as violations of international humanitarian and marine law, with evidence to be submitted to the UN’s International Court of Justice, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Hassan Massoud reporting from the Mediterranean.
Massoud said, “We are monitoring all the cameras, and we can confirm that several boats are still trying to reach Gaza. Even if just one of the boats reaches Gaza, this would achieve their goal to break the siege.”
He said another flotilla is now sailing towards Gaza after leaving from Sicily, Italy, signaling activists are continuing efforts to reach the starving Palestinian people and put a spotlight on Israel’s total blockade of food, water, and medicine.
