WHY THE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MUST PERSIST — A SECOND WAVE AND MORE SHIPS ARE NECESSARY TO BREAK THE SIEGE

WHY THE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MUST PERSIST — A SECOND WAVE AND MORE SHIPS ARE NECESSARY TO BREAK THE SIEGE

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
MAPIM — Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations

Summary

The Sumud Flotilla is more than a convoy of vessels delivering aid. It is a moral, political and legal instrument that exposes the siege, asserts Palestinian dignity, protects humanitarian life, and disrupts the systems that normalise the deprivation of an entire people. A second wave — larger, more diversified, and internationally coordinated — is not optional: it is essential to maintain pressure, sustain global solidarity, and create the practical conditions for lifting the siege on Gaza.

Key Arguments

1. The siege persists because complacency and episodic outrage allow it to

The blockade and ongoing attacks will continue so long as the international order treats Gaza’s isolation as normal. A single flotilla makes headlines — a sustained series of flotillas turns headlines into sustained pressure. Persistence prevents the story from being buried and compels constant diplomatic and public scrutiny.

2. Scale multiplies impact

More ships, multiple national flags, and a diverse coalition (civil society, unions, faith groups, medical teams, journalists, academics) make it harder for states and media to dismiss the mission as marginal. A larger convoy raises the diplomatic cost for states that support or tolerate the siege.

3. Humanitarian relief + political clarity

Delivering aid matters — food, medicine, fuel, and reconstruction materials save lives and sustain urban life. But the flotilla’s political mission is just as important: to assert that Gaza is part of Palestine, that Palestinians have agency, and that relief cannot be used to normalise occupation or replace political rights.

4. Legal and moral legitimacy

A coordinated flotilla that documents violations, carries independent observers, and secures legal advice strengthens casework for accountability (UN bodies, ICC, international courts) and protects participants under international humanitarian and maritime law. Repeated missions build an evidentiary record.

5. Protecting activists and increasing deterrence

A predictable, multi-national presence at sea creates a deterrent effect against arbitrary attacks. When governments, unions and parliaments are visibly linked to the flotilla, the political consequences of violent interdiction rise.

6. Mobilising the global labour, faith, and civic movements

Labour unions, port workers, and civic organisations can turn the flotilla into a broader campaign — refusing to handle complicit cargo, imposing workplace solidarity actions, and sustaining economic pressure (BDS, divestment campaigns). This multiplies leverage beyond the sea lanes.

Strategic Priorities for a Second Wave

1. Diversify the fleet

Include hospital ships, research/observation vessels, supply ships, and small fast-response boats.

Ensure participation from multiple continents and many port cities.

2. Embed independent observers

Invite UN-affiliated monitors, ICRC/Red Cross liaisons, human rights researchers, and reputable journalists to accompany missions.

3. Pre-arranged legal & diplomatic cover

Secure legal teams to document incidents, and establish prior communication with supportive embassies, parliaments, and international legal bodies.

4. Union & port worker engagement

Mobilise dockworkers and transport unions to deny handling of blockade-enforcing cargo and to provide safe port access where feasible.

5. Medical and reconstruction focus

Undertake missions that bring critical medical supplies, field hospitals, and construction materials to demonstrate the immediate humanitarian value.

6. Robust media & narrative strategy

Real-time reporting, multi-language dispatches, verified video evidence, and global editorial partnerships to control the narrative and counter misinformation.

7. Security protocols & nonviolence discipline

Strict nonviolent rules of engagement, training for activists in de-escalation, and clear emergency evacuation plans.

8. Sustained funding & logistics

International crowdfunding, institutional donations, and logistical hubs to ensure the flotilla can sail repeatedly without protracted gaps.

Calls to Action — Who Must Do What

States & Parliaments: Pressure Israel to lift the siege; recognise humanitarian corridors; hold hearings; adopt resolutions protecting humanitarian missions.

Trade Unions & Port Workers : Enact solidarity measures — refuse to handle blockade-enforcing cargo; support crew and supplies; coordinate stoppages when necessary.

Civil Society & Faith Groups : Send delegations, mobilise local rallies, and support legal advocacy networks.

Media & Academics : Embed with missions, publish open-source documentation, and produce impact reports.

International Organisations (UN, ICRC, OIC): Facilitate safe passage, observe missions, and use evidence to pursue accountability.

General Public: Donate, pressure elected representatives, join solidarity actions at home ports.

Ethical Guardrails

The movement must be principled: strictly nonviolent, transparent about cargo and objectives, respectful of international humanitarian law, and committed to Palestinian leadership and priorities. The flotilla’s aim is liberation from the siege and restoration of rights — not geopolitical bargaining chips.

Conclusion

The Sumud Flotilla is a living testimony: it turns compassion into action, shame into accountability, and outrage into policy pressure. A second wave — larger, wiser, and more internationally embedded — is indispensable to break the siege, protect lives, and remind the world that justice requires sustained action, not episodic sympathy. MAPIM calls on all partners, unions, institutions, and people of conscience to commit now: to fund, to sail, to mobilise, and to persist until Gaza’s siege is ended and Palestinian rights are fully restored.

Issued by:
Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President, MAPIM

MENGAPA SUMUD FLOTILLA GLOBAL HARUS BERTERUSAN — BANGKITAN KEDUA DAN LEBIH BANYAK KAPAL BAGI MEMECAH SIEGE

MAPIM — Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia

Ringkasan

Sumud Flotilla bukan sekadar konvoi kapal bantuan. Ia adalah instrumen moral, politik dan undang-undang yang mendedahkan kepungan, menegakkan maruah Palestin, melindungi nyawa, dan mengganggu mekanisme yang menormalisasi penderitaan satu bangsa. Gelombang kedua — lebih besar, pelbagai dan terselaras antarabangsa — bukan pilihan tetapi keperluan untuk mengekalkan tekanan dan mewujudkan keadaan praktikal bagi mengangkat sekatan Gaza.

Hu­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­langan Utama

1. Kepungan berterusan kerana kepuasan diri dan kemarahan episodik membenarkannya

Satu flotilla menarik perhatian; siri flotilla yang berterusan menukar perhatian kepada tekanan berterusan.

2. Skala menggandakan impak

Lebih banyak kapal, bendera negara berlainan dan gabungan pelbagai sektor menyukarkan usaha untuk menafikan misi ini.

3. Bantuan kemanusiaan + kejelasan politik

Bantuan penting menyelamatkan nyawa; misi politik menegaskan hak dan kedaulatan Palestin — bukan menggantikan hak dengan amal semata-mata.

4. Legitimasi undang-undang dan moral

Pemerhatian bebas, dokumentasi dan penasihat undang-undang membina rekod untuk pertanggungjawaban antarabangsa.

5. Perlindungan aktivis & peningkatan penafian serangan

Kehadiran multinasional yang boleh diramalkan meningkatkan kos politik dan diplomatik untuk serangan ganas.

6. Penggerak gerakan buruh, agama dan masyarakat

Sokongan kesatuan pelabuhan, langkah solidariti dan kempen ekonomi (BDS) meluaskan tekanan di luar jalur laut.

Keutamaan Strategik bagi Gelombang Kedua

■ Kapal kapal pelbagai fungsi (kapal hospital, bekalan, pemerhatian).

■ Pemerhati bebas (UN, ICRC, wartawan).

■ Sokongan undang-undang & diplomatik pra-susun.

■ Libatkan kesatuan & pekerja pelabuhan.

■ Fokus perubatan dan pembinaan semula.

■ Strategi media yang kuat (laporan masa sebenar, video terverifikasi).

■ Protokol keselamatan & disiplin bukan keganasan.

■ Pembiayaan berterusan dan hab logistik.

Seruan Tindakan

1.Kerajaan & Parlimen: Desak hentikan kepungan; lindungi misi kemanusiaan.

2.Kesatuan & Pekerja Pelabuhan: Laksana langkah solidariti — tolak pengendalian kargo yang menegakkan kepungan.

3.Masyarakat Sivil & Agama: Hantar delegasi, adakan perhimpunan solidariti, sokong advokasi undang-undang.

4.Media & Akademik: Sertai misi, sebarkan bukti dan hasil kajian.

5.Organisasi Antarabangsa: Fasilitasi laluan selamat, saksikan misi dan guna bukti untuk pertanggungjawaban.

6.Orang Awam: Derma, desak wakil rakyat, sertai solidariti di pelabuhan.

Penutup

Sumud Flotilla menukar rasa simpati menjadi tindakan, dan keengganan menjadi tanggungjawab. Gelombang kedua yang lebih besar dan berterusan adalah kunci untuk memecah kepungan, melindungi rakyat Gaza, dan memastikan dunia tidak melupakan tanggungjawabnya. MAPIM menyeru semua pihak berkepentingan untuk berikrar sekarang: membiayai, berlayar, mobilisasi, dan bertahan sehingga kepungan Gaza diangkat dan hak Palestin dipulihkan sepenuhnya.

Dikeluarkan oleh:
Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
Presiden, MAPIM