The attack on an aid ship for Gaza early on Friday morning bears the hallmarks of Israel’s actions in the past. The EU must halt its aid to the country, argues Kevin Ovenden 

The Conscience, an aid ship which is part of the Palestine solidarity Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was targeted by armed drones at 0:23am off the coast of Malta this morning. It was due to set sail for Gaza today aiming to break the media and aid blockade. Israel has cut off aid for eight weeks and is using starvation as a weapon of war.  

Two drones struck the boat in the hull causing fire and a power outage. Few doubt that Israel is responsible directly or indirectly. The Freedom Flotilla coalition is calling on governments and civil society globally to condemn the attack and to call in Israeli ambassadors. 

Aboard the now disabled ship are thirty activists from 21 countries. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israel has used extreme violence before, attacking aid ships attempting to break the siege on Gaza in international waters. 

I was aboard the Mavi Marmara in 2010 when it was attacked by Israeli commandos killing nine unarmed aid volunteers instantly, with one dying of his injuries later. 

There was a blizzard of lies from the Netanyahu government but also shock and anger internationally. It led to a temporary diplomatic freeze between Israel and Turkey. All ten dead were Turkish nationals. The youngest, Furkan Dogan, also had joint US citizenship. The global outrage was not enough to isolate apartheid Israel completely but coming after the movement in response to the Cast Lead war of 2008-9, it spurred on the global solidarity campaign. 

So too did the repeated land convoys to Gaza, when they were possible, which we organised under the banner of Viva Palestina. Those also played a role in encouraging Arab civil society in solidarity efforts with Gaza, despite the hostility of almost all Arab governments. Leading the convoy through Egypt especially gave a glimpse of the suppressed solidarity with the Palestinians and rage against the Mubarak dictatorship in 2009. That erupted in revolution, 22 months later. 

Solidarity now with the Freedom Flotilla alongside, of course, the Palestinians is important in bringing our own governments under pressure to speak out or face major political consequences. The British and US governments have been content to allow Israel to kill even their own citizens. 

The Turkish government drew back from the diplomatic confrontation with Israel fifteen years ago and, while rhetorically castigating the genocide in Gaza, it has not implemented an embargo and sanctions on Israel or argued for it in international bodies. That includes Nato, of which Turkey is a member. 

No aid to Israel 

Twelve months ago, Turkish authorities prevented a three-ship aid flotilla leaving for Gaza after Israel managed to pressure the Guinea Bissau maritime authorities to remove their flagging from the vessels. Retreats by governments or, worse, outright collaboration or participation in Israel’s war crimes have consequences not only for Gaza and the Palestinian people. 

They embolden Israel to commit crimes and acts of piracy abroad. Malta is an EU state. The EU has announced an emergency aid and support package for Israel on account of the wildfires engulfing parts of the country. 

Israeli newspapers are reporting how one reason for the devastating fires is the planting by pioneer settlers of European pine and other highly flammable trees over the last century to make it feel more like the countries they had come from. 

It tells us everything that the EU and its states are activating a special fund while at the same time enabling the Israeli state to conduct a genocidal war against the Palestinians. One which has already spread out to the Israeli military deliberately starting fires in Lebanon to clear ground and leave it inhospitable.  

Against the propaganda attempts to dismiss Louis Theroux’s devastating documentary on the settlers by claiming it looked at fringe, mindless fanatics, the settlers on the West Bank in setting fire to Palestinian property and land are merely doing what the state’s military forces do. They are doing what was done to found Israel on stolen Palestinian land. 

Instead of setting fire to the Palestinians, the Israeli state ought to be dealing with fires of its own. Until it stops the genocide and occupation, there is no way that European publics should allow EU and state resources to go to a government committing war crimes and run by war criminals. 

Aid must instead flood Gaza and Palestine. We should stand in solidarity with the activists aboard The Conscience aid vessel and with those in the coalition of civil-society organisations seeking to get that aid and outside reporters into Gaza. And we must continue to extend our solidarity efforts with Gaza and the Palestinians locally and globally.  

Send solidarity messages and inquiries to the flotilla coalition here.