The Global Sumud Flotilla captured global attention when roughly 42 vessels set sail toward Gaza to provide food and humanitarian aid, as Israel imposed its forced starvation and genocide campaign. The flotilla was widely known to be organized and led by various European and other non-Arab solidarity groups, as well as many American participants.
One individual by the name of David Adler, a Jewish American who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, was a part of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Adler, LA-based journalist Em Wilder, and countless other flotilla members were subjected to violence, humiliation, and emotional abuse. Another LA resident, Rebecca Ruiz, had originally planned to attend the flotilla but once the boat was deemed not “seaworthy,” she stayed behind to assist with volunteer work and other organizers.
Ruiz, Wilder, and Adler reflect a broader pattern of the growing solidarity movement for Palestine in LA, where many individuals have continued to come together to mobilize, fundraise, and call for an end to this horror.
Witnessing this growing solidarity, both in the US and globally, for the past 2 years has proven that the movement for Palestine is a major litmus test for this generation. The rise of international solidarity for Palestine has included Gulf Arab countries as well, as recent reports have revealed that a contingent of Arab civilians also participated.
These individuals joined the flotilla’s mission to provide aid for Gaza in an incredible symbolic action for Palestine, while defying many of their governments’ complicity and silence in Israel’s genocide.
The names of the Arab members of the Flotilla, who were also captured and kidnapped alongside the hundreds of other participants, include Dr. Omama Al Lawati, Jamal Al-Reesi, and Dr. Saeed bin Saif Al Maskari, from Oman, Abd Alrahman Ghazal and Abdallah Al-Ghabash from Jordan, Mohammed Abdullah and Sami Abd Al-Aziz from Bahrain, and Abdullah Al-Mutawa, Khaled Abdul-Jadder, and Mohammed Jamal from Kuwait. All individuals were on the flotillas Yulara, Meteque, Spectre, Alma, and Allakatella.
After their kidnappings, multiple statements from the Global Movement to Gaza urged Arab countries, such as Bahrain and Oman, to demand Israel release their citizens. The Secretary General of the Kuwaiti Progressive Movement, Osama Abdul Rahim, stated, “We condemn the Zionist piracy. We demand the safety of all participants in the global resistance fleet.” The Kuwaiti National Diwan for Human Rights also called for the end of Israeli human rights violations, as well as the release of their Kuwaiti citizens that participated in the flotilla.
Following their capture, multiple Arab participants in the flotilla then participated in a hunger strike, including Mohammed Abdullah and Al Abduljader from Kuwait, who stated, “We cannot eat while our people are starving.”
Adalah Lawyers, a legal center dedicated to representing the Palestinian minority in Israel, reported that all participants in the Sumud flotilla experienced various forms of mistreatment and aggression by Israeli Defense Forces, including reports stating that there was lack of access to clean drinking water, while medications were withheld from the participants.
Abdul Rahman Ghazal, one Jordanian participant in the fleet, reflected on the hijacking of the flotilla, as well as the abuse he and other participants suffered. He told Roya News, “We were exposed to torture and insults, they deliberately insulted us. As soon as they heard I was Jordanian, they kept beating me repeatedly — they dislocated my shoulder three times.”
Reports stated that illegal proceedings and continuous mistreatment of the kidnapped flotilla members took place at Israel’s Katse’aut prison. Multiple attorneys met with at least 80 members of the flotilla working to reverse arrest warrants.
On October 4, over 200 hearings were held without justice nor defense attorneys present and, by October 7, The Global Movement to Gaza announced that all captured individuals were freed and released back to their home countries. As many Arab participants of the flotilla returned, they were met with a busy reception of celebrations and cheers for a “Free Palestine” throughout international airports, celebrating their safety and heroic journeys.
When asked about their intent and what drove them to embark on this heroic journey, one Omani flotilla participant Al-Maskari stated, “The true heroes are the people of Gaza who are facing the brutal aggression of the Israeli occupation. Our aim is to express the solidarity of our people with the people of Gaza and the Palestinian cause.”
This type of unity being presented in the people of Arab countries, despite many of their leaders normalizing ties with the occupation, has sparked a growing paranoia within Israel, as the historical Arab unity is reigniting amongst the people. For a long time, Israel has relied on the division of the Arab world in order to uphold their status quo of occupation and apartheid in Palestine.
The intention of the Abraham Accords, brokered and spearheaded by the Trump administration in 2020 and backed by Israeli interests, was to bribe Arab and Muslim countries into making peace and establish diplomatic ties with the state of Israel. The UAE and Bahrain signed the deal with Israel on September 15, 2020, followed by Sudan on October 23, and Morocco on December 10 of the same year. Egypt and Jordan established peace with Israel decades earlier.
Israel’s intention with these accords is to stifle Arab unity with Palestinians while pushing for the prioritization of regional peace with Israel over Palestinian liberation. With these actions shamelessly taking place, Palestinians have felt isolated from their Arab neighbors when it comes to the hope of any Arab involvement in ending the Israeli occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Many of these Arab governments have proven to sell out Palestinians in the name of so-called peace while disregarding or propping up Israeli war crimes.
In support of this betrayal, Israel and its followers are adamant in their belief that other Arab countries have lost hope when it comes to the future of Palestinians and will end up abandoning them completely. As Arab leaders continue to make peace with Israel, open their air routes to Israel, and enact air blockades in benefit to Israel, its supporters wholly expect the Arab world to continue selling out Palestinians.
While many Arab countries have enabled Israel’s actions, Israel seems to be willfully ignorant towards Arab solidarity. This represents a potential threat to Israel’s future, as global solidarity for Palestine increases, revealing that the governments of these Arab countries do not reflect the views of their citizens.
Witnessing these participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla has illuminated a reminder that the Arab unity we’ve known of for so long still lives on, as the everyday people continue to stand in solidarity with Palestinians. The courage shown through these flotilla members has been connected to people in cities like LA, where the growing commitment for Gaza is a struggle that refuses to fade until justice and liberation is met.
This reveals something deeper, that the call for Palestinian freedom is not only something impossible to ignore, but something that we are utterly responsible for. Now, after over two years of genocide in Gaza, and a nominal ceasefire in full effect (however uncertain), it is clear that Arab silence in the face of Palestinian oppression is a myth. Although the Arab participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla were unable to make their way into Gaza, they will not only be remembered for their bravery, but for the compelling message they sent to Palestinians — you are not alone.
