Keir Starmer should obey his “legal duty to act to prevent a genocide”, Greta Thunberg has instructed the Guardian whereas travelling aboard an support flotilla heading for Gaza.
The Swedish activist mentioned there was a “huge absence of those whose legal responsibility it is to step up” below worldwide regulation, and known as out the UK prime minister earlier than a possible assembly this week with Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.
In a message to Starmer, who has been urged by his personal MPs to not meet the Israeli head of state on Wednesday, Thunberg mentioned: “The words we will use to describe people who are standing on the wrong side of history, supporting or committing war crimes, those words do not exist yet, those slurs do not exist yet, but we will be using them towards people like [Starmer].”
She mentioned individuals all over the world have been “waking up” to what’s taking place to the Palestinian individuals and refusing to “watch a livestream genocide” happen.
“We have seen civilians all over the world stepping up but there is a huge absence of those whose legal responsibility it is to step up,” she mentioned. “These governments, these people in power, have a legal duty to act to prevent a genocide and to not support an apartheid regime.”
No 10 has refused to verify whether or not the prime minister intends to fulfill Herzog, who was highlighted by worldwide court docket of justice judges in a case after he blamed the “entire nation” of Palestine for the assault on Israel on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 individuals and took 251 hostages. Downing Avenue has been contacted for a response.
Thunberg is joined by tons of of activists making up the International Sumud Flotilla on a authorized support mission to Gaza, the place civilians have been dealing with “starvation, pure and simple”, the UN warned final month.
It’s the second support mission she has joined, after she was kidnapped from worldwide waters alongside the remainder of the 12-strong crew of the Madleen by Israeli authorities in June, a couple of day earlier than they have been on account of attain Gaza.
The flotilla, a part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has been sending support boats to the territory since 2008, goals to ship gadgets equivalent to meals packages, child formulation and medical provides, in addition to to attract public consideration to Gaza, the place not less than 63,633 Palestinians have been killed by Israel because the begin of the struggle.
Their security will not be assured as not less than 10 activists have been killed and lots of extra injured on earlier missions.
Yasemin Acar, a German activist who was aboard the Madleen with Thunberg and is an element of the present mission, mentioned: “Many people around the world may say that this is a suicide mission and we are going to the belly of the beast, which is true. We are seeing what they’re doing to Palestinians.
“But the question should be, why should we fear for our life while we are carrying nothing but humanitarian aid to a population that is being starved, a manmade starvation supported by so many governments and states around the world?”
Thunberg agreed there was a risk they could be killed, saying Israel had been empowered to behave illegally by the dearth of repercussions from the worldwide group.
She mentioned: “If we would base our logic on international law and common sense, and even the most basic humanitarian values, then there is absolutely no reason for Israel to attack us. But again, we have seen that Israel sees themselves as an exemption from international law, and the world to a large extent allows them to act however they want without any major consequences.”
Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian activist who was additionally aboard the Madleen and is an element of the present flotilla, mentioned the missions weren’t getting safer however that the eyes of the worldwide group have been what was holding them from being killed. “The reason why we ask people to share the mission [on social media], it’s because this brings us visibility, not because Israel does not want to kill us – because they want to do with us the same thing that they do to Palestinians – but because they cannot afford to pay the political cost of that,” he mentioned.
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“We right now see that the world is paying attention to this mission because we know the sense of urgency that they are facing in Gaza, but also the world is sick of seeing children being starved to death, sick of seeing hospitals being bombed, shelters being bombed, schools being bombed, homes being bombed.”
Thunberg, who in 2019 grew to become the youngest Time Particular person of the 12 months and has been nominated 5 occasions for the Nobel Peace prize for her local weather activism, mentioned: “I think it’s been very clear in the words and actions of people all over the world that there is worldwide support for this [movement].
“We know that the world does not stand with war criminals. And we know that by every day when we see more footage coming out of Gaza, we see the incredibly brave journalists who are risking their lives to report the atrocities happening. People are waking up.”
Quite a few accusations of struggle crimes have been made in opposition to Israel, such because the hunger and wilful killing of civilians, together with support staff and medics. As well as, not less than 248 journalists have been killed in Gaza within the final 22 months.
Thunberg mentioned some individuals had not identified what was taking place in Gaza beforehand however that “we no longer have the privilege to say that we weren’t aware because we are seeing this coming out of Gaza every single day of children being starved, parents looking for missed body parts of their children under the rubble”.
“Anyone who has any sense of humanity and common sense can see that there is absolutely, absolutely no justification for any of this, no matter what absurdly fabricated arguments Israel is using,” she mentioned.
“But as they are escalating the genocide, we are also escalating the resistance. We are not able to just sit and watch a livestream genocide take place.”
Israel doesn’t settle for accusations of genocide and says its lethal actions in opposition to civilians in Gaza are an try to destroy Hamas and rescue Israeli hostages.
