The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) strongly condemns the unjustified, unprovoked and illegal actions by Israeli forces against the humanitarian aid mission to Gaza aboard the Madleen.
This blatant violation of international law and humanitarian principles is an affront to justice and human rights.
Earlier today, Israeli forces intercepted the Madleen, a vessel on a humanitarian mission to provide essential aid to Gaza, forcibly boarding and detaining the crew and aid workers onboard.
APAN demands the immediate release of the freedom sailors and the resumption of their mission to deliver vital humanitarian assistance to the besieged people of Gaza.
This brazen illegal act of aggression underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, exacerbated by the ongoing genocide, which continue to inflict immense suffering on the Palestinian population.
APAN calls upon the Australian government to take swift and decisive action in response to this egregious violation of human rights. We urge Australian authorities to:
- Call the Israeli Ambassador and demand the Israeli authorities release the detained aid workers and allow the Madleen to proceed with its humanitarian mission without further interference.
- Ensure the safety and security of all humanitarian aid missions to Gaza, in accordance with international law.
- Impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel.
- Unequivocally condemn Israels genocide in Gaza, and its manufactured starvation of the Palestinian population.
- Impose immediate sanctions on Israeli officials responsible for crimes against humanity and violations of international law in both Gaza and the West Bank and to compel it to allow unfettered humanitarian access to Gaza, to end the blockade that has weaponised starvation against an entire population, and to end its ongoing genocide.
- Support for international accountability for Israel, via the ICJ and International Criminal Court.
Quotes attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:
“What we are witnessing in Gaza is a genocide, plain and simple. For 20 months, the world has watched as Israel has bombed, starved, and destroyed an entire population, while governments, including our own, have failed to intervene. This inaction has forced ordinary people to take extraordinary risks to deliver aid and solidarity where our governments would not.”
“The storming of the Madleen is not an isolated incident. It is part of a long, bloody pattern of Israel using violence to silence humanitarian efforts. We remember the 2010 massacre aboard the Mavi Marmara, where Israeli forces murdered ten peace activists. Today’s events are a chilling reminder that Israel acts with impunity, because the international community allows it.”
“Australia cannot remain silent while humanitarians are attacked for trying to deliver food, medicine and hope to people under siege. The Albanese government must demand the immediate release of the detained aid workers and assert that Australians, and people of conscience everywhere, have the right to offer life-saving support without being assaulted by a military regime.”
“The situation in Gaza is so dire, so catastrophic, that humanitarians have felt compelled to act, even if it means risking their lives. That is not charity, that is courage. And the response of the Israeli state, armed raids and abductions, proves once again how far it will go to prevent even the smallest light from reaching Palestinians.”
“For 20 months, the world has enabled Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza through complicity and cowardice. The aid mission aboard the Madleen exists because our governments have failed. It’s time to stand with these heros who are doing what our leaders should have done long ago, responding to the cries of a people being starved and slaughtered.”