-
-
Latest Discussions
-
I liked the weeping willows but yes guess there was a reason - maybe they can plant some to eventually grow -
Melanie Schweizer of the Global Sumud Flotilla details the aims – and anxieties – of the largest humanitarian convoy to Gaza since the blockade began. Dear Ilona, “The time for debate and hesitation has passed; starvation is present and is rapidly spreading.” This was the urgent warning of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) last week as it formally declared famine in the Gaza Strip, where at least 281 people have died from hunger — of whom 114 were children. At the same time, thousands of humanitarian aid trucks sit idle at the border, blocked by Israeli occupation forces. The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has 6,000 trucks on standby, waiting to be allowed entry. Across the border, more than 1,900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers while searching for the little food that enters Gaza. After 22 months of genocide, life expectancy at birth in the besieged enclave has fallen by 35 years. That’s why we’re sailing to Gaza: To break the siege. The Global Sumud Flotilla represents a historic moment: The largest civilian and humanitarian fleet ever to sail for Gaza, prepared within the shortest time frame in history, and formed through the unprecedented union of four major grassroots movements — organizers and participants of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Global March to Gaza, the Sumud Convoy, and the Asian Sumud Nusantara. This coalition brings together thousands of individuals from across the globe, including lawyers, doctors, nurses, journalists, parliamentarians, and human rights defenders. Together, we embark on a mission to deliver life-saving aid directly to the population of Gaza, and to challenge an unlawful blockade that constitutes one of the gravest crimes under international law. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has, since 2006, organised ships to sail toward Gaza in an effort to break Israel’s illegal siege. Some vessels succeeded, others were intercepted, and one in 2010 was attacked with lethal force, resulting in the killing of ten participants. Despite repression, this coalition has kept the maritime path of solidarity alive. The Global March to Gaza mobilised in March 2025 and brought over 4,000 participants from across the world to Cairo to march to Rafah. Simultaneously, the Sumud Convoy gathered participants from Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia and organized buses to join the Global March. The march and convoy were violently obstructed, with hundreds detained by Egyptian authorities. The initiatives, however, proved that international civil society is ready to act en masse in solidarity with the people of Palestine. This was cemented by the formation of the Asian Sumud Nusantara, which expanded the network even further, demonstrating that resistance to genocide is not confined to one region but reaches around the world. The unprecedented coordination of these four movements signals that humanity recognises its responsibility to act when our leaders not only fail to prevent atrocity but aid and abet the erasure of the Palestinian people. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Since October 2023, the population has faced indiscriminate bombardment, mass displacement, and deliberate starvation. Even as they continue to resist the occupation, the people of Gaza face an increasingly dire situation. The blockade, imposed and tightened by Israel, prevents food, medicine, and essential goods from reaching two million civilians. The result is famine, disease, and mass death. This is not just a humanitarian crisis — it's a deliberate policy, enabled by impunity. International law is clear: The Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 23, obliges parties to allow the free passage of consignments of medical and hospital stores, as well as essential foodstuffs, intended for civilians. Additional Protocol I, Article 70, requires parties to allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief. The San Remo Manual, Rule 102, prohibits blockades that have the effect of starving civilians or denying them essential relief. The Genocide Convention, Article II(c), recognises the deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to destroy a group, including through starvation, as an act of genocide. The Rome Statute, Article 8(2)(b)(xxv), defines the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime. The International Court of Justice has issued three binding provisional measures (January, March, and May 2024), requiring Israel to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza without obstruction. Despite these clear obligations, states have failed to act, and Israel continues to enforce a blockade that has been condemned by UN bodies, humanitarian organisations, and legal experts worldwide as unlawful collective punishment. The Global Sumud Flotilla is a popular response to their crimes: An insistence that where governments fail, we will act. Our flotilla is humanitarian: It carries food, medicine, and essential supplies; it carries no weapons. It is peaceful; our ships are unarmed and transparent in their purpose. It is lawful: it exercises rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), including the freedom of navigation on the high seas (Article 87), the obligation of peaceful use of the seas (Articles 88 and 301), and the right of innocent passage through territorial waters. Our mission does not fall under any exceptions that would allow interference under Article 110 of UNCLOS. It is not piracy, not slave trafficking, not illicit broadcasting, and certainly not a military action. It is the lawful transportation of humanitarian aid. Our participants are protected civilians under Article 4 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Any interference, mistreatment, or arrest would not only be a grave violation of their rights but also engage the legal responsibility of the state committing such acts. The Global Sumud Flotilla therefore demands: An immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire. The lifting of the unlawful blockade of Gaza. The guarantee of safe and unhindered humanitarian access by sea and land. Accountability for violations of international law, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. A free Palestine, finally granting the Palestinians the right to self-determination. This mission stands in the proud tradition of global civil resistance against systems of oppression: Gandhi’s salt march against British colonial rule, Nelson Mandela’s struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and Rosa Parks’ defiance of segregation in the United States. Liberation has never followed a sudden moral awakening among the ruling class. It follows a struggle which mobilises at scale. The Global Sumud Flotilla is such a mobilisation. It is historic because of what it represents: International unity against genocide, the assertion that law must be practised and not merely proclaimed, and the refusal to remain silent in the face of famine. We sail because governments have failed. We sail because silence enables atrocity. We sail to defend international law and uphold human dignity. The Global Sumud Flotilla is a peaceful and humanitarian mission. It carries not only food and medicine but also the hope of millions: That humanity will prevail over indifference. Melanie Schweizer is a lawyer and Member of the Steering Committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla. -
Yes, unfortunately there are catchment areas for surgeries. Have a look on The Gardens website. -
Does anyone know where I can get some curtains altered? They are too long so ideally they would be shortened.
-
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now