ISRAEL'S Freedom Flotilla Ambush Sparks Global Fury!

Right, so the moment has come that I suspect many of us were expecting, in that Israel were always going to intercept the Freedom Flotilla vessel Madleen upon its approach to Gaza. The mission expected it, largely symbolic as it has been, given the token amount of aid that was on board, but Israel have managed to make even this act a display of abject arrogance and a breach of international law, because they didn’t bother to wait until the Madleen entered their waters to strike.
Whilst roughly 160 nautical miles offshore, still in international waters, Israel seized the ship and crew, hijacking it in effect. Israel committed an act of piracy and the crew is now in their detention.
If you look to the mainstream media though, you’d have to be forgiven for thinking Israel have done something within their rights to do. Israel have diverted, the ship intercepted the ship, have captured Greta Thunberg’s selfie yacht, directly taking their cues from the Israeli state itself as one outlet at least has done.
So whilst the main media essentially provides cover for Israel and even goes so far it seems as to cheer the capture of the Madleen, the government appears to be reflecting this attitude as well, with nothing, no statements at all even now, from Keir Starmer, David Lammy or anyone else that this ship, British registered, British flagged, has been captured by Israel. The message this sends is that Israel can capture British vessels whenever they like and Starmer the weakling will let them, but instead of calling Israel out, the UK government may instead have been caught preparing its excuses…
Right, so the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid vessel Madleen has overnight been intercepted in international waters—160 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza give or take—by Israeli military forces. This therefore is a blatant act of piracy under international law, another crime to add to the already massive list, that has not only resulted in the illegal seizure of a British-flagged ship but also in the hostage-taking of its multinational crew, because of course if the crime of piracy has been committed, the capture of the crew, therefore makes them hostages – not prisoners. Israel have committed the crime here, not them. The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was on a peaceful mission to deliver much-needed, if largely a symbolic amount of aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Instead, it has now become a symbol of how international law is being trampled with impunity—and how Western governments and media alike are complicit in allowing this impunity to flourish.
The Madleen incident is not just a maritime legal violation—it is a moral and political outrage. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, a vessel on the high seas—particularly one flying a recognized national flag such as the UK’s Red Ensign—is under the exclusive jurisdiction of its flag state. The Israeli military’s boarding of the Madleen without the consent of the UK constitutes piracy, as defined by Article 101 of UNCLOS, under which piracy is defined as:
‘(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:
(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;
(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;
(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;
(c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b).’
Israel are bang to rights.
Yet, rather than sounding alarms, the British government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer has remained conspicuously silent. Worse still, there are reports from the Foreign Office indicating that the UK government is preparing excuses to justify its failure to act in defence of a British vessel.
Journalist Craig Murray has tweeted out this morning that:
‘I have interesting news from inside the FCDO. Contrary to all Whitehall practice and culture, edict has gone out from Lammy's office that replies and statements re the Madleen are NOT to be cleared with Legal Advisers, Maritime Section or the Royal Navy.’
What does that mean then Damo? Well, you see any civil servant that might be preparing a statement or reply to a question, has to have the draft of that text cleared by all the relevant departments across Whitehall and get consensus between them all, they tweak things here or there to get agreement, before the text goes to the Minister to do as he or she needs to with it. That includes, as should be obvious, legal clearance. What Murray is reporting here, is that Lammy is seeking to bypass Whitehall, because they will certainly say Israel has acted illegally, they’ve committed piracy. If what Murray has learned is true, then Starmer and Co are about to throw the Madleen under the bus.
The ship’s crew, which includes activists from Sweden, France, Germany, and other nations, are reportedly being transported to Givon Prison in Ramla. There, according to Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, they will be subjected to harsh conditions—no communication devices, no televisions or radios, and a ban on any display of Palestinian symbols. This authoritarian repression follows the illegal detention of peaceful humanitarian activists whose only "crime" was to challenge the genocidal siege of Gaza. That this is happening to individuals flying under the flag of one of the oldest and most respected merchant naval forces in the world—the British Red Ensign—is a dark moment in modern maritime history. That the UK has not lifted a finger in response is even darker. It sends a message that British shipping is not safe from Israel because Keir Starmer won’t protect it.
Mainstream media coverage though has been particularly appalling, betraying journalistic standards in favour of political expediency. Headlines from major outlets have chosen language that distorts and minimizes the severity of the situation. The BBC and CNN state that Israel "intercepted" the Madleen as if they had some right to do this despite it happening in international waters—failing to convey the gravity of Israel's violation of international law. Sky News went further, euphemistically stating that Israel has "diverted" the ship, while the Guardian runs the soft headline that Israel has "taken control" of the vessel. Perhaps the most egregious example came from LBC, which has parroted Israeli propaganda by referring to the Madleen as a “selfie yacht,” mocking the ship’s mission and echoing a dismissive label used by Israeli sources to downplay the seriousness of the humanitarian effort and discredit the activists onboard.
Social media has responded with righteous fury. The term “selfie yacht” has rightly been condemned as regurgitated Israeli propaganda. Platforms like Twitter and Instagram have been ablaze with critiques of mainstream media for parroting occupation narratives and for their cowardice in failing to name this act for what it is: piracy and hostage-taking. Activists and concerned citizens alike are demanding accountability, not only for the crime committed by Israel but for the shameful cover-up being facilitated by journalistic institutions meant to hold power to account. Please do support your favourite independent and alternative media, I will reiterate that message once again.
Of all alleged journalistic commentary though, one of the worst comments came from Piers Morgan aimed specifically at Greta Thunberg for the pr-recorded message sent out of her, to be broadcast n the event of the Madleen’s seizure, saying:
‘Oh shut up, Greta Thunberg- you attention-seeking narcissist. What an insult to the actual hostages in Gaza who really WERE kidnapped. This stupid stunt is all about your ego, and will make zero difference to the plight of innocent Palestinians caught up in this dreadful war.’
Yes, we’re back to business as usual, but this was never meant to deliver the life-changing amounts of aid needed in Gaza, and if Morgan’s head wasn’t so far up his own backside that he can taste his own teeth all over again he might realise the crime Israel have committed here, but no, his irrational issues with Thunberg win out it seems!
Forget the principles of law, justice, and humanity, won’t somebody please think of Israel’s hostages as Israel commits piracy. Israel, in a further attempt to justify its actions, has stated that Thunberg and the other will view videos of the October 7 attacks by Hamas—their versions of that of course, which can’t be corroborated by global media, because Israel won’t allow it – in an attempt to deflect criticism by invoking past trauma rather than addressing current crimes. We’re the victims and we’re going to make you watch our reasons for that, never mind the fact we’re committing genocide on Gaza and a war of starvation and we’ve detained you illegally, we’ll have you singing Am Yisrael Chai by the time we’re finished, or motivations to that effect.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing, Israel’s allies have been unforgivably restrained. Though the United Nations and the European Union have issued statements condemning the action, they have stopped short of demanding meaningful consequences. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has sharply criticized Israel’s act of piracy, one of the first to report on the fact Israel had surrounded the Madleen last night and Craig Mokhiber, the former Director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has
condemned the Israeli assault on the Madleen, stating: “The Israeli regime has just attacked & commandeered the humanitarian ship Madleen, in blatant violation of international law.”
He also called on the United Nations to take action in response to the attack, urging it to defend human rights and address threats to international peace and security and to “Expel, isolate, embargo, and sanction the regime now.”
Amnesty International has denounced the seizure of the Madleen and demanded the immediate release of all detained crew members too.
Other governments have however issued much harsh condemnations, calling the seizure an act of war and a grave violation of maritime norms.
Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel’s interception of the Madleen, calling it a “clear violation of international law” and evidence that Tel Aviv “is acting as a terror state.”
“Israel’s aggressive and unlawful actions will not silence the voices that stand up for human dignity and universal values,” the ministry said in a statement, joining growing international outrage over the seizure of the Gaza-bound aid vessel.
Iran has also denounced Israel’s interception of the Madleen via Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqaei during a press briefing in Tehran, who said:
‘This assault on the flotilla, since it happened in international waters, is considered a form of piracy under international law.’
One of the most vociferous defences of the Madleen and its capture by Israeli forces has actually come from Hamas, who have issued a statement saying:
‘The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas strongly condemns the crime of piracy committed by the Zionist occupation forces in intercepting the solidarity ship Madleen in international waters, using force to prevent it from reaching the Gaza Strip, diverting it to the port of Ashdod, and detaining the international activists on board who came on a humanitarian mission to break the siege and expose the crime of starvation.
The interception of Madleen in open waters, and the prevention of even symbolic aid from reaching our people who are facing a campaign of genocide, constitutes organized state terrorism, a blatant violation of international law, and an attack on civilian volunteers moved by humanitarian motives.
We salute the courageous solidarity activists from various nationalities who stood firm in the face of threats, affirming that Gaza is not alone — that the conscience of humanity remains alive in confronting fascist occupation, and that Gaza continues to enjoy the support of free people around the world.
Madleen, along with overland convoys of steadfastness coming from Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, and elsewhere, stand as living testimony to the failure of Zionist propaganda and to the breadth of global popular and humanitarian solidarity with besieged Gaza. Accordingly, we in Hamas:
Demand the immediate release of the solidarity activists and hold the occupation fully responsible for their safety.
Call on the United Nations and international organizations to condemn this crime and to urgently act to break the siege imposed on our people.
Affirm that the blockade is a crime that does not expire with time, and that the world will continue to resist it by all means. We value and encourage all international initiatives aimed at breaking the unjust siege that has suffocated Gaza for more than 17 years.
The seizure of Madleen will not silence the voices of the free, nor will it halt the growing tide of international solidarity with Gaza. Instead, it will further isolate the occupation and expose its criminal face before the peoples of the world.’
That is damning and it says a lot that the it is a criminal offence to show support for this group in the UK and therefore I will make clear as I have done before that I am not doing that here, but it does say a lot that a group the UK has on the terror list is saying more in the Madleen’s defence than the British government is.
This silence from the UK is the most damning. A British-flagged ship has been attacked, its crew taken, and yet the government has issued no ultimatum, no diplomatic protest, no clear plan for action, seems to be lining up its excuses instead. This failure not only betrays the crew of the Madleen, it signals to the world that UK shipping is no longer protected under the Red Ensign. That an RAF base sits just miles away in Cyprus and was not even mobilised to respond only underscores the government’s shameful dereliction of duty. Some watching this, hearing about might consider this appeasement; but it’s worse than that, it is total abdication.
As news emerges from within the Foreign Office suggesting the Starmer regime is preparing its excuses, the British public must act. Every citizen should contact their MP and demand to know what the government is doing to protect the Madleen, its crew, and the nation’s maritime reputation. If the UK cannot protect its ships and citizens flying under a British flag from acts of piracy, what does that say about its sovereignty and its commitment to justice? Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves? Not under Starmer, nothing like it.
This is a defining moment. The world has watched Israel starve Gaza, bomb it to rubble, and commit genocide. Now, it is attacking those who seek to alleviate suffering. The Madleen was not a warship. It carried aid, not arms. It flew a peaceful flag and carried a peaceful mission. To attack such a vessel is to attack the very idea of humanitarianism.
If international law means anything, then this act cannot be allowed to stand. If the UK is a sovereign power with any claim to moral leadership, then it must act decisively. That we’re hearing it plans to do the total opposite virtually, is par for the course for this most hated of governments. As for the mainstream media, well like I say, switch them off and get your news elsewhere from smaller yes, but far more credible sources.
The Madleen is more than just a ship. It is a floating symbol of the courage to care, the willingness to confront injustice, and the failure of those in power to live up to their own professed values. To remain silent now is to be complicit—not just in this act of piracy, but in the ongoing horror that is the siege of Gaza and this channel will continue to cover it for as long as it takes.
Let us be clear: the Freedom Flotilla Coalition did what states would not. They sailed toward suffering, not away from it. Their capture should be a call to action for every decent human being, every believer in justice, and every citizen of a democracy. We must demand their immediate release, the return of the Madleen, and full accountability for those who ordered and executed this illegal act.
Anything less would be a betrayal—not just of the activists on board, but of the very principles of human dignity and international law itself.
All of this of course comes just a day after Israeli video footage came out of kids, parroting all the usual Israeli propaganda, again targeting Thunberg, saying we’re coming to get you. There’s a reason Israeli kids are like this, in a nation so depraved they use their kids for stunts like this and it goes to show why hatred of Palestinians is taught to generation after generation. Get all the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch.
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