During more than eight months of ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Israel dropped 70,000 tons of bombs, missiles and artillery shells on densely-populated neighborhoods in Gaza, and fired millions of bullets, mostly at defenseless civilians. This was only possible because the Israeli military was able to replenish its ammunition stores continuously during this time, receiving arms shipments from the U.S, Germany and other countries, and materials (dual-use items, such as explosives) used to produce ammunition by Israeli arms companies. The arms deliveries have turned companies and third-party states into accomplices in Israel’s genocide, as well as in its war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A new legal analysis by Dr. Irene Pietropaoli affirms that corporations and third parties have an obligation not only to refrain from selling weapons to a state which is using them to commit gross human rights violations but also not to facilitate the transit of these weapons and not to purchase weapons from arms companies, thereby financing the crimes. States and corporations that arm and otherwise enable Israel’s genocide are complicit and must one day be held accountable.
Three ships suspected of carrying weapons to Israel from Chennai, India sailed through the Mediterranean in May-June: the Borkum, Marianne Danica and Vertom Odette. Despite intelligence on the ships, an arms contract between the Indian company Premier Explosives and Israel, and very suspicious behavior of the ships at sea, they were not searched.
Only in June, LSAP (Socialist Workers Party of Luxembourg) from Luxembourg demanded accountability from its government and asked a parliamentary question regarding the ship Vertom Odette, which sails under the flag of Luxembourg and is suspected of carrying explosives to the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems. The Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen reported that the Marianne Danica carried weapons to Israel in full knowledge of the Danish government, which did nothing to stop it. The Cape Verdean newspaper Mundoaominuto reported that Cape Verde participated in the illegal arms transfers by allowing ships carrying weapons to Israel to refuel. The Spanish activist group RESCOP successfully pressured the government to deny a port of call to Marianne Danica.
These actions are important but are sadly not enough. Israeli and international authorities are aware that the weapon transfers to arm its genocide are illegal and are trying to actively hide them. So far, no port authorities in the Mediterranean have stopped to search even one of the hundreds of ships which have carried weapons to Israel over the past eight months. This must change.
In times of genocide, as Israel massacres scores of Palestinian civilians every day, the urgent need to stop the weapon transfers takes precedence over the business interests of shipping companies or the reluctance of port authorities to search ships. A comprehensive policy is urgently needed to stop the weapons shipments. We call for escalating lawsuits, protests, peaceful disruptions and parliamentary action in states which have ignored demands to search suspicious ships, such as Denmark and Slovenia until they stop enabling Israel’s #GazaGenocide.
#BlockTheBoat #MilitaryEmbargo