cross-posted from: https://ibbit.at/post/64652

Italy has despatched a second warship to support the humanitarian Global Sumud Flotilla en route to deliver aid to Gaza and break Israel’s criminal starvation blockade, following continued – now nightly – Israeli attacks on the fleet of volunteer-crewed boats.

But at the same time, the Italian government has tried to pressure the flotilla to capitulate to Israeli demands to surrender its aid supplies – in this case to the local Catholic Church, which Israel will supposedly allow to distribute the aid in Gaza unmolested, despite the occupation’s diversion of aid to the criminal gangs it funds and its near-daily slaughter of desperate Palestinian aid-seekers.

Italy sending more support to the Global Sumud Flotilla – but with demands

The Global Sumud Flotilla consists of around fifty civilian vessels crewed by lawyers, politicians, medics and activists and has been repeatedly bombed by drones and buzzed by fighter aircraft, now with the added psychological warfare of drones playing loud music all night to try to deprive crews of sleep. Despite this one-sided aggression, the Israeli government is claiming that it is the unarmed humanitarian volunteers who are ‘pursuing violence’.

Italy sent a first naval ship earlier this week to ‘assist’ the flotilla after it was bombed by at least fifteen drones in international waters near Greece. Spain followed suit shortly afterward. So far, no crew member has been reported killed or seriously hurt.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni said the government’s proposal was to hand the aid over in Cyprus to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem for distribution in Gaza, and tried to blame the flotilla organisers for not accepting the ‘offer’.

Israel continues to maintain its vice-like grip on food and other essentials in Gaza while shooting and shelling starving aid-seekers at the ‘GHF’ so-called ‘aid’ stations it controls and funding an ISIS-linked criminal gang to steal aid and kill Palestinian refugees.

The flotilla crews have said they will continue on their mission to deliver the aid directly.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox


From Canary via this RSS feed

  • somename [she/her]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    42
    ·
    4 days ago

    I wonder how the mass movements on the ground in Italy will take this. The government lasted only like a day before clarifying they were being performative. That’s not a lot of time to defuse internal tensions.

    • Sebrof [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      37
      ·
      4 days ago

      Unions are meeting about it today and tomorrow

      Dockworkers from across Europe will converge on Genoa, Italy, on Friday and Saturday to coordinate an effort to block shipments of weapons that could be used in Gaza

      Initially that means focusing on how to react to the Global Sumud Flotilla — a humanitarian aid convoy involving climate activist Greta Thunberg that was targeted by Israeli drones in international waters south of Crete earlier this week. Talks will cover blocking military exports to Israel, but the debate could widen, with moves that may threaten Israel’s trade ties with the EU.

      “Looking ahead, it could mean coordinated industrial action in European ports against not just weapons, but all goods directed to Israel,” said Staccioli.

      Take my energy organized labor! spirit-bomb

  • SmokeyTheBear [he/him]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    edit-2
    4 days ago

    Woaw why isn’t CHINA doing this TOO?!? /s

    Where are those ultras at from the previous thread? Y’all seriously thought Italy was going to war with Israel LOL.

      • SmokeyTheBear [he/him]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        4 days ago

        I find it childish that do-nothing western leftists have the GALL to criticize the most successful AES state to exist.

        I find it pretty racist that a bunch of terminally online crackers think that they are more intelligent at geopolitics than an eastern country that has maintained its sovernty since the dawn of time.

        • somename [she/her]@hexbear.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          10
          ·
          4 days ago

          I think you should read more Mao, if you think he thought introspection and reflection on ways to improve was bad. No state and organization is immune to criticism. I am generally pretty China positive. That doesn’t mean I think every aspect of China is great. And yeah, I’m just a nobody on the internet. Just like all of us. We’re just chatting lol.

          • SmokeyTheBear [he/him]@hexbear.net
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            4 days ago

            I’m not saying that any AES is beyond reproach. Constructive criticism is healthy and good.

            You want to know what’s not good? Using criticisms as a hammer and wedge to sow Reddit/Fed discord on enemies of the west. Take a look at the previous thread and tell me that wasn’t exactly what was done.

            We’ve seen this story play out before with the Trots (+ other left deviAtions). We’ve seen it before with Krusechevs secret speech. We saw it before with Hungary. With the Sino-Soviet split. My point is: Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater because you might not understand or agree with what AES countries are doing.

            • somename [she/her]@hexbear.net
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              4 days ago

              I don’t know if saying “Maybe China should work to cut economic ties with Israel” is a fed talking point. It’s really the opposite of what they’d want.

              • SmokeyTheBear [he/him]@hexbear.net
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                4 days ago

                Using this as a talking point to say they have turned their backs to communism/internationalism is a fed point that you yourself inspired in that thread. The meek western left sitting on their high horse of morality criticizing AES when their own countries actions are responsible for a vast majority of the horrors in the world is beyond words.

                China is enemy #1 of course its good for the feds that the western radical left dislikes China. We have documented evidence of this same playbook being used historically (as I already mentioned). I personally refuse to demonise AES the same way the western left had historically.

                • somename [she/her]@hexbear.net
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  6
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  4 days ago

                  Enemy number one? What? Not at all lol. China does have great effects on the world, and the global south through their economic investment. Not to mention the vast increase in quality of life of their citizens. Like I said, I like a lot of what China does. I’m not criticizing them because I think they’re bad. I’m doing it because I think so much more good could come in the world if they took a solid, committed stance of international socialist leadership.

                  Saying I think China could still improve in international, ideologically-driven support, isn’t the same thing as repeating State Department smears. I’m not talking about bullshit like the Uyghur “genocide”, Falon Gong lies, or poor oppressed Taiwan.

      • SmokeyTheBear [he/him]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        4 days ago

        Fascist Italy helping out Israel is ‘doing more for optics’ huh? That’s a wild take.

        China lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, helping develop the third world through belt and road, and standing on the side of peace is just nothing I guess!

        I’ll be sure to tell Xi that the white western geopolitical communism understanders on hexbear sternly disapprove of his countries actions.

        • somename [she/her]@hexbear.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          18
          ·
          edit-2
          4 days ago

          Are you saying the Palestinians aren’t resisting enough? Haven’t show themselves worthy of aid? Think about what you’re saying, what it means.

            • somename [she/her]@hexbear.net
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              10
              ·
              edit-2
              4 days ago

              A revolutionary state still has to have internationalist principles, and can’t be afraid to be in confrontation with capitalist powers, to challenge their excesses when they are reasonably able. No one is saying they need to get bogged down in a war with the US. Just, there are degrees of action, and sometimes there’s reasonable criticism to be made.

              Edit: Wait. You’re saying the genocide of Palestinians is an acceptable cost to “safeguard global communism”. Fuck you.

                • somename [she/her]@hexbear.net
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  5
                  ·
                  4 days ago

                  I never said China had to invade Israel. The fact that you had to jump to that extreme to defend your passivity towards Genocide is rather disgusting.

                  Just because more places are going to see “some Palestine like times” doesn’t excuse failure to act in this case.