Activists waved South African and Palestinian flags on boats at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg as people gathered to show support for the Global Sumud Flotilla. Ten South Africans will sail with the largest civilian flotilla yet to challenge the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
Family, friends and well wishers gathered at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg on Sunday to bid farewell to activists joining The Global Sumud Flotilla. Organisers said that about ten South Africans will form part of the local delegation.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was formed by four coalitions: the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Maghreb Sumud Convoy, and the Southeast Asian Nusantara Sumud Initiative. People from over 40 countries will board boats filled with humanitarian aid and set sail for Gaza. The aim of the flotilla is to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Gaza, to deliver urgent humanitarian aid.
The first boats left Barcelona on 31 August. The South Africa delegation will launch from Tunisia on 4 September, with more than 50 ships expected to participate.
Family, friends and well wishers gathered to bid farewell to the activists joining the flotilla.
Israel imposes a total sea, air and land blockade on Gaza and some previous flotilla expeditions have ended in tragedy. In 2010 Israeli forces stormed the “Mavi Marmara”, and killed ten activists aboard the ship carrying aid to Gaza.
“There have been multiple attempts to break the siege before this one. This is the largest of its kind. And delegates from around the world are supporting this, from politicians, to celebrities, to activists — people of all faiths, all backgrounds and all ethnicities,” said Khalid Vawda from Social Intifada.
Jo Bluen from South African Jews For A Free Palestine will accompany the flotilla on a legal support boat which according to Bluen will document all illegal acts conducted by Israeli forces. “It is clear to everyone that the illegal actor here is the terrorist state of Israel. And that those who are breaching this blockade are not only acting out of morality, out of a quest for liberation, but under international law are carrying out their legal obligations,” said Bluen.
Former Member of Parliament Mandla Mandela, who will join the flotilla, also addressed the crowd.
Organisers acknowledged the risks involved but said that civilian vessels carrying humanitarian aid in international waters are protected under maritime law.
“There are risks. But the greater danger lies in allowing Israel and its allies to carry out genocide with impunity. Israel has a documented history of using force against humanitarian flotillas. The risks we face are small compared to what Palestinians endure every day — starvation, displacement, and bombardment,” read a statement from the Global Sumud Flotilla.
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