Afrasianet - The latest Israeli piracy in international waters is another record, the arrival of Israeli gunboats on the shores of the island of Cyprus to intercept the boats of the "Global Resilience Flotilla" heading to the coast of the Gaza Strip, carrying humanitarian relief materials and seeking to break the blockade imposed by the occupying power since 2006 and suffocating more than 2 million Palestinian civilians.
345 participants in that round of the "Steadfastness Flotilla" initiatives, which were launched in Spain, and only recently released Brazilian activists Tiago Ávila and his Spanish colleague Saif Abu Keshk, after they were tortured.
As for the practice of flagrant violations of international law at sea and outside territorial waters, there is nothing new on the part of a country that has become the only model in the world of the most heinous systems of occupation, racial discrimination, apartheid, wars of extermination and settlement, and it is no wonder that some of its senior politicians have been convicted in international judicial institutions and most bodies Human rights are also nothing new in terms of the silence of some Mediterranean countries on Israeli violations, or even complicity in facilitating their implementation, as in the example of the Greek navy during the interception of boats in the latest round of the Global Resilience Fleet initiatives.
If it is true that the occupying Power deliberately practices this type of piracy as a deterrent and a show of force, it is no less true that some Mediterranean States are promoting this Israeli approach, both satisfied and small.
Despite the direct attacks, arrests and various forms of intimidation that the occupying Power has resorted to to deter international blockade-breaking fleets, whether they succeed in approaching the shores of the Gaza Strip or being subjected to Israeli piracy in international waters hundreds of miles away, the campaigns have not stopped in terms of the escalating pace.
On the contrary, participation rates have increased in terms of the quality of activists and the number of ships. Today, the coalition includes nationalities from Norway, Sweden, Italy, France, Spain, the United States, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Malaysia, which is partly the reason why the occupation is raging against its peaceful and civilian fleets.
In June 2015, the Swedish ship Marianne was trapped as part of the "Freedom Flotilla 2" and forcibly taken to the port of Ashdod, and the participants on board were arrested.
It is no secret that the reasons for the occupation's madness against these flotillas are not limited to the principle of breaking the blockade, but also go beyond the fact that the campaigns support the national rights of the Palestinian people, call for an end to the occupation and settlements, and respect for the right of Palestinian refugees to return.
The occupation is also angry that the coalition supports the BDS movement calling for the withdrawal of investments from Israeli entities and the protection of the interests of the Palestinian people.
Israeli forces arrest sister of Irish president
In this context, the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly, officially announced the arrest of her sister, Dr. Margaret Connolly, by Israeli forces, while she participated in the "Global Steadfastness Flotilla" heading to break the siege on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli navy intercepted the fleet's ships in international waters near Cyprus. It seized several boats, including the Mavi Marmara 2 and the Blue Toys.
Dr Margaret Connolly is one of at least six Irish nationals detained as part of the interception.
Margaret Connolly works as a GP in Ireland and is a longtime activist in the Palestinian people solidarity movement.
President Catherine Connolly said after her visit to London that she was "very proud of her sister and concerned for her safety and the safety of her colleagues" at the same time.
The organizers of the trip broadcast a pre-recorded video of Margaret Connolly in which she stated: "If you watch this video, it means that I was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces and I am being held illegally, the struggle of Palestine is the moral compass of our time."
