By Yanki Farber
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined a pro-Palestinian flotilla that set sail from Barcelona on Sunday, an initiative that includes organizers identified by Israeli officials as having ties to Hamas.
The “Global Resilience (Sumud) Flotilla” is described by its coordinators as the largest effort since 2007 to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Organizers said vessels from Italy and Tunisia are expected to join in the coming days, with dozens of ships carrying thousands of participants.
The flotilla is organized in part by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a group that previously coordinated the 2010 Mavi Marmara convoy and more recent attempts to reach Gaza by sea. Israeli analysts point to Zaher Birawi, a coalition leader based in Britain, as a Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood activist.
Thunberg is joined on board by antisemitic Irish actor Liam Cunningham, Spanish actor Eduardo Fernández, and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, among others. Organizers have described the initiative as a civilian coalition of “doctors, artists, clergy, and activists.”
However, some members of the flotilla’s steering committee have expressed public support for militant groups. Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian activist who was deported from Israel in June after boarding another Gaza-bound ship, has voiced support for Hezbollah and attended the funeral of its former leader Hassan Nasrallah earlier this year. Wael Nouar, a Tunisian activist, has publicly supported Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and attempted to organize a volunteer convoy from Tunisia toward Gaza earlier this year.
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said the flotilla is likely intended to increase international pressure on Israel and to deepen its diplomatic isolation. It assessed that Hamas’s overseas leadership may have played a role in supporting or promoting the effort.
Organizers of the flotilla have denied any affiliation with governments or political parties, stating that the convoy is an independent humanitarian initiative.
The flotilla is expected to continue sailing across the Mediterranean in the coming weeks.
One Response
It is joined by many Tunisian and Libyan boats, two countries that are adversaries to Israel. That alone paints the flotilla as hostile.