Just before 9am GMT this morning, the Israeli military forcibly siezed the Irish-owned humanitarian relief ship, the MV Rachel Corrie, from delivering over 1000 tons of medical and construction supplies to besieged Gaza. For the second time in less then a week, Israeli naval commandos stormed an unarmed aid ship, brutally taking its passengers hostage and towing the ship toward Ashdod port in Southern Israel. It is not yet known whether any of the Rachel Corrie's passengers were killed or injured during the attack, but they are believed to be unharmed.
The Corrie carried 11 passengers and 9 crew from 5 different countires, mostly Ireland and Malaysia. The passengers included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, Parit Member of the Malaysian Parliament Mohd Nizar Zakaria, and former UN Assistant Secretary General, Denis Halliday. Nine international human rights workers were killed on Monday when Israeli commandos violently stormed the Turkish aid ship, Mavi Marmara and five other unarmed boats taking supplies to Gaza. Prior to being taken hostage by Israeli forces, Derek Graham, an Irish coordinator with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that: "Despite what happened on the Mavi Marmara earlier this week, we are not afraid.
This is sad to me. This aid is necessary for the people of Gaza and Israel refuses to let it through, and in the process is destroying their international relationships. If it's shaky in the US, imagine how it is in the rest of the world?
They really do need to end this illegal blockade. Legal blockades involve differing state territories. Gaza is not a state - it is occupied land. And because of that, no declaration of war has been made (that would be trouble for Israel - they'd then be culpable for their treatment and how it stands against the Geneva conventions).
Interested in some fun reading? Check out the San Remo Manual which spells out international law dealing with war on the seas.