Civic Organizations: The Assault on the 'Fleet of Resilience' Activists Requires Serious Will to Punish the Occupation and Break the Siege by Force

SadaNews - The Palestinian Network of Civic Organizations issued a statement condemning the assault by the occupation and the Minister of "National Security" Itamar Ben Gvir against the activists of the Fleet of Resilience.

The network expressed its concerns regarding these practices. The statement is as follows:

The Palestinian Network of Civic Organizations views the blatant assault carried out by the extremist Ben Gvir against the activists of the Fleet of Resilience, who were arrested and assaulted away from camera documentation during their transfer to Ashdod Port, followed by the disgraceful display led by Ben Gvir where they are powerless and attacked, and subjected to abusive insults while the Israeli flag was raised in their faces. This is considered an extension of the same racist tendencies that accompanied previous acts of piracy against ships led by activists and social movements from various countries aimed at breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip and introducing aid despite its prohibition.

In light of the escalation of the occupation, the ongoing bombardment and assassinations, the destruction of buildings, and the worsening living conditions for the displaced, along with the removal of what is called the yellow line to impose a new reality in the sector, and what is happening in the Palestinian West Bank from colonial settlement campaigns at the expense of Palestinian land, the network demands international intervention. The wave of international condemnations and denunciations of Ben Gvir's disgraceful behavior alone is not enough; these are not isolated incidents involving an individual within the government, but rather an expression of a methodology fueled by a mentality of hatred and animosity that necessitates working towards firm international measures to impose sanctions and halt the silence towards these practices which represent serious violations of the most basic human rights.

The network reiterates the importance of working in light of the documented images of what previously happened to the activists who came to break the silence in the face of the occupation's aggression, delivering a peaceful and civilian humanitarian message by carrying some aid, medications, and food for the children of the besieged Gaza Strip. They have taken on what has not been accomplished by states, governments, and international agencies specialized in defending human rights; their fate is arrest and assault instead of being honored by the world for their heroism and bravery in delivering the message of pain and suffering to the people of besieged Gaza. Ben Gvir then announces that the world, international law, and human rights treaties are not tools applied to (Israel), which is above all that and is not subject to international accountability.

While the network welcomes the widespread condemnation campaign from many institutions and countries, it calls for translating that into decisions, especially from the countries whose citizens were stopped and taken in a humiliating manner to Ashdod Port to immediately halt partnership agreements with the occupying state, not content with summoning the ambassadors of the war government in Israel, but rather to elevate the international position to direct practical measures for accountability and achieving justice. The response should be to form more fleets of resilience to break the siege with international protection and enable them under the umbrella of the United Nations to access the sector with the force of international will and firmly and seriously stop the Israeli arrogance and insolence to prevent the recurrence and continuation of such unethical treatment without the world taking any action. The network also calls for building broader international alliances and coalitions to support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and to stop the ongoing assaults and violations of the occupation, including ending the war of aggression and breaking the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, along with the immediate release of the activists.