People have gathered in Greece, Italy, Germany, Tunisia and Turkey to protest against Israel’s interception of the flotilla. Its actions have also drawn criticism from Pakistan, Bolivia and Malaysia.
In Italy, spontaneous rallies took place in some cities on Wednesday evening. Its main trade union CGIL confirmed it was backing a general strike on Friday in solidarity with Gaza and in response to what it said was the “abandonment” of Italian workers “in open international waters” by the Italian government.
In a statement the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for Israel to “urgently lift the blockade on Gaza and allow the entry of life-saving material through all means possible”, adding it must agree to facilitate impartial humanitarian relief schemes “without hindrance”.
The UK foreign office it had been in contact with the families of the British nationals on board boats. It added it had contacted the Israeli authorities, to “make clear we expect the situation to be resolved safely”. It also said it had been in contact with the families of the British nationals on board
Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned the interception as an “act of terrorism”, and called for the “perpetrators of this attack” to be held accountable.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has expelled all remaining Israeli diplomats from the country in response, and denounced the interception as an “international crime by Netanyahu”.
Petro also terminated Colombia’s free trade agreement with Israel, which has been in place since 2020, and called for the release of two Colombians who were aboard the flotilla.
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris called the reports “concerning” and said he expects Israel to uphold international law, with at least seven Irish citizens among the detained, including Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews.
