[STATEMENT] Stand with the Global Sumud Flotilla!

The largest humanitarian effort to break the Israeli coastal enclave in Palestine – the Global Sumud Flotilla – was harshly intercepted by Israeli military forces yesterday. Organizers on the intercepted vessels reported their vessels being rammed at sea, fired at by water cannons, and forcibly boarded by the IDF, along with signal jamming and encirclement by drones.

Despite the Global Sumud Flotilla being a non-violent humanitarian mission, the Israeli government has responded in the only way it seems to know how, with violence and intimidation. The flotilla carried food and medicine for the victims of the genocide and Gaza, and they were met with the armed forces, as if they were a military threat to the state of Israel.

Israel’s response to the Flotilla reminds us all of the dangers of a state possessed by militarism and war. The Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (APNED) has always stood against the ongoing genocide in Palestine, recognizing that this is one of the largest en-masse human rights violations in modern history. We assert that the struggle to end war and militarism  is one of the struggles that environmental defenders must wage, as not only does war and militarism threaten the destruction of ecosystems and produce massive wastes and emissions, but it creates an environment where no type of defense for and, environment, and human rights can take place.

We must also continually condemn the United States of America’s role in supporting the ongoing genocide in Palestine through material, financial, and technical military support. The USA has also repeatedly blocked efforts from multi-state entities like the United Nations to show support against the ongoing genocide. If we are to condemn war and militarism, we must condemn the largest warmongering state in the world.

We call on all our fellow defenders to show their support to the Global Sumud Flotilla in any way that they can – be it through statements, petitions, or protests.