LONDON: A British-Polish activist detained on board an aid flotilla bound for Gaza has accused the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “moral bankruptcy” for failing to act after the vessel was intercepted by Israeli forces.
Ewa Jasiewicz, a journalist and campaigner who was also on the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla in which nine activists were killed, was among hundreds detained on Wednesday night when the Global Sumud Flotilla was stopped en route to the besieged territory.
Speaking to The Independent from detention, Jasiewicz said: “I'm stunned that (Starmer) can be this morally and ethically bankrupt. Is this what being in power does to somebody? I’m not just baffled, I’m disgusted as well.”
Calling on the UK to intervene, she added: “I fully expect my MP to intervene on my behalf and to support civilian efforts to break the siege on Gaza. I expect full diplomatic and state efforts to lift this genocidal siege on Gaza.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of 44 boats carrying around 500 activists from more than 40 countries, set out with the aim of delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Among those taking part was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Tracking data shows at least one boat in the flotilla is still heading toward the territory.
Israeli authorities described the flotilla as an “initiative serving the terror group Hamas’ agenda,” accusations rejected by participants.
Jasiewicz said Israeli commandos boarded her vessel, the Sumud, “in a very violent way,” firing rubber bullets, using tasers and threatening activists.
She also claimed that detainees were humiliated once in custody, with soldiers filming them on their phones.
“It was not a good experience. It was scary, being on a vessel that was moving,” she said.
Jasiewicz compared the UK’s stance on Gaza with its support for Ukraine.
“I want to see the same legal and moral standards that states including the UK and Poland, my countries, rightly apply to the ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine,” she said.
“These double standards amount to racist hypocrisy and dehumanization of Palestinian lives.”
Her criticism carries particular weight given her history with the flotilla movement.
In 2010 she was traveling in a fleet of six ships raided by Israeli forces in a deadly confrontation that left nine activists dead, dozens injured and 10 Israelis wounded.
A UN investigation later found that at least six of the deaths were “in a manner consistent with an extra-legal, arbitrary and summary execution.”
In London, Camden Friends of Palestine has written to Starmer demanding he guarantee Jasiewicz’s safety, while campaigners have been planning a protest in Parliament Square.
The UK’s Foreign Office said it was “very concerned about the situation with the Sumud Flotilla” and is in contact with the families of those involved.
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment, according to The Independent.
