How the world is responding to Israel’s interception of the Gaza flotilla | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Israel has intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) while en route to Gaza, leading to swift criticism from global leaders as protesters gather in cities around the world, including Istanbul, Athens, Buenos Aires, Rome, Berlin, and Madrid, to condemn the raid.

At least 44 countries were represented in the 500-person flotilla, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Malaysia, Turkiye and Colombia.

Reactions from world leaders have ranged from outright condemnation to calls for Israel to provide their detained citizens with access to consular services.

Here are some of the responses so far:

Palestine

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it “condemns Israel’s attack and aggression against the Global Sumud Flotilla” in a post on X. “The Global Sumud Flotilla has the right of free passage in international waters, and Israel must not interfere with its freedom of navigation, long recognised under international law”, it added.

Turkiye

Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Israel’s intervention “an act of terrorism” that violated international law and endangered the lives of innocent civilians.

The ministry said Israel’s actions also demonstrated that “the fascist and militarist policies pursued by the genocidal Netanyahu government — which has condemned Gaza to famine — are not limited to Palestinians”.

Later, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Israel was engaged in “banditry” for targeting the flotilla, adding: “Türkiye supports all passengers of hope aboard the flotilla. We are taking measures to protect activists, our citizens aboard the flotilla.”

Malaysia

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for the immediate release of Malaysian citizens. In a statement on X, he said it would take “all lawful and legally grounded measures to hold Israel accountable”.

Israel was not only disregarding “the basic rights of the Palestinian people but has also trampled on the conscience of the global community”, he said.

South Africa

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the immediate release of the participants of the flotilla and confirmed that those detained include Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela.

The statement added: “South Africa calls on Israel to ensure that the life-saving cargo transported by this flotilla reaches the people of Gaza, as the flotilla represents solidarity with Gaza, not confrontation with Israel.”

Colombia

President Gustavo Petro announced on X that his government was expelling Israeli diplomats and cancelling Colombia’s free trade agreement in light of Israel’s actions.

He said Colombia “must pursue all the appropriate demands, including through Israeli courts” to ensure the return of its citizens.

Italy

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told local media Israel had assured him there would be “no violent actions” against the flotilla.

Italian unions separately called for a general strike on Friday to show their solidarity with the GSF and Gaza, following a strike in September by Unione Sindacale di Base and other protests at Italian ports.

The country’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said her government would “do everything we can to ensure these people can return to Italy as soon as possible” but criticised the flotilla and subsequent protests organised by Italy’s largest trade union in solidarity with the activists as bringing no benefit to the Palestinian people.

United Kingdom

The UK government has said that it is “very concerned” about Israel’s interception of the flotilla and added that it is in “touch with the families of a number of British nationals involved.”

“The aid carried by the flotilla should be turned over to humanitarian organisations on the ground to be delivered safely into Gaza.”

Germany

The foreign ministry spokesperson has called on Israel to “comply with their obligations under international law and to act with proportionality”. Berlin added: “We also called for the protection of all those on board to be guaranteed, to our knowledge, this has been done.”

Spain

Madrid released a statement on Wednesday demanding the “physical integrity and rights of Spanish citizens be respected” and said its consular teams were monitoring the situation from Nicosia and Jerusalem. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, told reporters on the sidelines of the EU Summit that his government was extending diplomatic protection to all Spanish citizens aboard the flotilla.

Greece

Greece issued a joint statement with Italy earlier this week, calling for Israel “to ensure the safety and security of the participants and to allow for all consular protection measures”.

Ireland

Irish President Michael D Higgins said Israel was preventing essential aid from reaching Gaza. “The safety and protection of those involved in this humanitarian exercise is a concern for all of us and all of the nations from which the people come,” he said in a statement.

Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned what he called a “dastardly attack” by Israeli forces on the flotilla, saying that he was praying for the safe release of those detained. Sharif said: “This barbarity must end. Peace must be given a chance and humanitarian aid must reach those in need.”

Belgium

Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot urged the Israeli government to respect international law in a statement on X. He said his top priority was to ensure “the rights of our compatriots are respected, that their safety is guaranteed, and that they can return home as quickly as possible”.

France

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs called on Israel to grant the French citizens participating in the flotilla access to consular services and “allow them to return to France without undue delay”.

The France Unbowed party, which had close to half a dozen of its parliamentarians participating, accused Israel of carrying out an act of “piracy against the Global Sumud Flotilla”. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the party’s leader, called France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, an “incompetent fool”, accusing him of siding with Netanyahu. “He brings shame to our country,” he said on X.

United States

Earlier this week, 20 Democratic legislators urged the White House to take action to protect the flotilla.

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the US largest Muslim advocacy group said Israel’s move on the flotilla show it would “kidnap humanitarian activists and engage in piracy in international waters”.

The organsations Deputy Executive Director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, said: “Every nation that pays lip service to international law should condemn this illegal attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla and take their own steps to forcibly break the siege of Gaza.”

United Nations

While the UN itself has not responded yet to the arrests of the activists, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on Palestine, said the Israeli intervention against the flotilla highlighted the West’s inaction towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“As I watch Israel’s illegal abduction of the only humans who have risked their lives to break Israel’s unlawful blockade, my thoughts are with the people of Gaza, trapped in Israel’s killing fields,” Albanese wrote on X.

“Shame on Western governments first and foremost, and their complicit inaction.”