Aid Flotilla 'Detained': A Kinder Word for High-Seas Piracy
When Israel intercepts unarmed civilian ships carrying humanitarian aid in international waters—as it did with the Global Sumud Flotilla—it's not mere 'detention.' This mirrors the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, where Israeli commandos killed 10 activists en route to Gaza. The blockade itself, deemed collective punishment by UN human rights experts, is consistently ignored by major US outlets, who
prefer euphemisms like 'security measures.' Instead of questioning the legality or morality of blockading aid to a population on the brink of famine, the media focuses on the activists' safe return, diverting attention from the underlying violence. One might ask, how many acts of aggression against civilians must occur before 'detained' becomes 'attacked' or 'hijacked' in our news?