|
by
Jonathan Kuttab
On
Wednesday, a flotilla of 55
ships carrying humanitarian
relief to Gaza was
intercepted in
international waters off the
Greek Islands by armed
Israeli naval
vessels. The Israelis
forcefully boarded 20 ships,
kidnapping 175 of
their occupants, who come
from many countries, and
destroyed the
equipment of some ships and
towed others towards Ashdod.
This
confrontation could not
provide a more stark
contrast between two
opposing world
views:
On
the one side was the fully
armed
Israeli navy, projecting its
military power hundreds of
miles (700
miles actually) away from
its borders, in full
contempt of
international law and
maritime regulations, as
well as the interests
and sovereignty of others.
It was a declaration to one
and all that
“might makes right.” As
Netanyahu stated recently,
Israel is now not
only a regional power but a
world power. It will set its
own rules and
do what it wishes because it
can. This, it did not do in
defense of
its own security or the well
being of its population, but
with the
declared purpose of
maintaining its cruel siege
over Gaza and its
people , including its
authority to control any
food, fuel, medical
supplies or any civilian
goods from even approaching,
much less
entering Gaza waters or
territories without its
express approval.
After Israel devastated the
ability of Gazans to live
any normal lives
and began subjecting them to
an ongoing genocide, it is
actually
declaring that those who
show any sympathy with
Gazans are criminals
whom it can arrest, detain,
question and imprison
anywhere they exist.
While the arrestees belong
to many countries, including
Europe and the
United States, Israel
counted on the cowardice of
their politicians
and their unwillingness to
challenge Israel's power.
The United States
even issued a statement
supporting Israeli actions
because some of the
arrested were under its
sanctions and considered
“sympathizers of
Hamas.” Only President
Trump, among the nations of
the world, matches
the arrogance of Israel and
its disdain for
international law and
norms, and its exceptional
claim to do whatever it
wants because it
has the power, holds the
cards, and can force its
will upon
others.
On
the other side were unarmed
citizens from multiple
countries. Artists,
activists,
parliamentarians, doctors,
and ordinary citizens who
want to show
concretely their care for
the people of Gaza. They do
not use force or
violence, but they act in a
concrete, nonviolent manner.
Many think
they are naive and unwise to
challenge the overwhelmingly
powerful
forces of Israel (and its
ally, the United States) but
they choose to
act nonetheless out of love,
care and dedication. They
assert their
belief in universal values
that apply to all. Their
actions are not
meant to hurt anyone or
cause harm to Israel and its
population, yet
they are brave enough to
confront the horrors of the
genocide and to
do something about it at
great risk to themselves.
While their
governments dither and
vacillate while failing to
take any concrete
actions, the flotilla
participants are willing to
stand up and be
counted.
In
classic terms of the
nonviolence
movement, they are exposing
the failures of their
respective
governments to protect their
citizens or the
international rule of
law. They are asserting the
primacy of international
law. They are
reminding the world of the
ongoing genocidal situation
in Gaza. They
are deepening the isolation
of Israel and reasserting
the relevance
and vitality of
international law and norms
that are universally
binding on everyone, with no
special exception for Israel
and the US.
They are restoring faith in
the relevance of solidarity
and collective
action against rogue states.
They are asserting their own
agency in
the face of the helplessness
of their own governments.
All
of us are being called upon
to
take a position on this
issue as well. Do we stand
with Empire, and
its power to bully others
that, in the words of Trump,
feels no
restraints other than “its
own morality” (such as it
is) or do we
insist on resistance, based
on international law,
universal human
rights, and nonviolent but
sacrificial resistance to
ongoing injustice
and oppression. It is
incumbent on all of us to
raise our voices and
to truly choose whether we
support unrestrained power
and lawlessness
or whether we stand with
nonviolent resistance, law,
and
justice.
|