US veterans slam Washington's silence on Israel's attack on Gaza-bound aid vessels

Washington, DC — Global condemnations are growing after Israel attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla — one of the most high-profile symbols of opposition to Israel's siege of Gaza — and abducted hundreds of activists carrying food aid for besieged Palestinians.

The flotilla, raided by Israel en route to Gaza, comprised over 40 civilian vessels from numerous countries, carrying approximately 500 parliamentarians, lawyers, and activists.

The organiser's website stated on Thursday afternoon that not all boats were halted, and some vessels were struck by 'incendiary devices' during interception.

Countries around the world have condemned Israeli actions, but there has been no official public statement from the US, despite several American activists, including veterans, participating in the humanitarian mission who now remain in Israeli custody.

"I am disappointed but unsurprised that the US would sacrifice its own people to continue supporting Israel's genocide," Joy Metzler, a former Air Force Second Lieutenant, tells TRT World.

"I thought that maybe our citizens would be a bit more protected, but I also am unsurprised, given how much this administration apparently hates people who don't talk and think like them," she adds.

She says that Washington has already made moves "towards green-lighting war crimes for its own military, so as far as I'm concerned, they (this administration and the last) can stand trial with Israel for their war crimes."

"It would have been easy for Israel to just let them through and consider that a win, but I think it shows the lengths that Israel is willing to go to, to keep control over the situation and how it's reported. Especially after it came out that they pay influencers — like who they claim are on the boats (and a few are) — to visit GHF sites and push their propaganda," she adds.

Five US veterans, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla attempting to break Israel's Gaza siege, are believed to have been abducted by Israeli troops and taken to Ashdod port.

Susan "Zue" Jernstedt, Greg Stoker, Zuleyka "Mo" Rivera, Phil Tottenham and Jessica Clotfelter are believed to have been seized by Israeli forces after contact was lost with them, organisers said.

'Silence is complicity'

Mike Ferner, a former president of Veterans for Peace, tells TRT World that the US stance on the raids isn't just passive, it's complicit.

"The US has armed Israel to the teeth to carry out the genocide against Palestinians, and they've got plenty left over if they want to respond violently to the flotilla," Ferner tells TRT World.

"Israel's been propped up and supplied all along by the US government, and I hate to say it, our tax dollars," he says.

Veterans for Peace is an American non-profit of military veterans who have fought in multiple US wars and are seeking end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Ferner states the flotilla aims to pressure the US to cease supporting Israel, arguing Tel Aviv couldn't act alone.

He stated that Israel has a history of confiscating aid attempting to reach Gaza by sea, "dating back to 2008"

Ferner added that people risking their lives aboard the boats were hoping that Israel would have "learned some manners in the meantime" to obey international law, but this pattern of aggression didn't change.

"But it's an important thing to be doing and calling the world's attention to what's going on with all these hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people who have been killed and starved," he said.

'They have forcibly starved the population'

Rebecca Roberts from About Face: Veterans Against War also says the US' silence constitutes complicity.

"Silence is complicity. However, I don't believe the US is passive or silent. I believe that the US directly funding Israel's ability to carry out this genocide speaks volumes, and that violent militarism has been at the core of US foreign policy for decades," she tells TRT World.

"Israel's genocide is an extension of that," she adds.

Veterans Against the War is a veterans' advocacy group formed in 2004, opposing the US invasion and occupation of Iraq from 2003-2011. Membership includes post-9/11 veterans.

"International law is clear. Civilian vessels carrying humanitarian aid, sailing in international waters, must be protected and allowed entry. Israel denying the entry of a peaceful humanitarian mission to deliver vital aid violates international law."

She says Israel must immediately cease its carnage in besieged Gaza and allow the entry of humanitarian aid from every possible entry point.

"As they have forcibly starved the population, we are in a critical moment where the people of Gaza's lives literally depend on it," she states.

"The US must end its complicity. We call on citizens of the world, especially those within the belly of the beast here in the US, to take action for Palestine," says Roberts.