Washington DC - Representative Rashida Tlaib has led a group of US lawmakers in demanding the Trump administration take action to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza.
"The safety of the Global Sumud Flotilla's civilian passengers is at serious risk and requires immediate action," reads the letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, signed by 18 other members of Congress.
"As the Trump administration fails to take action to stop genocide, hundreds of brave civilian volunteers from over 40 countries – including the United States – have set sail to Gaza to deliver essential aid, establish a humanitarian corridor, and save lives."
The Global Sumud Flotilla is comprised of dozens of vessels sailing to deliver food, medical supplies, and other vital humanitarian aid to the besieged people of Gaza as they struggle to survive what the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has determined to be genocide.
Activists from around the world – including Swedish climate and human rights organizer Greta Thunberg, Irish Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham, and more – are taking part in the largest mission of its kind to break Israel's brutal blockade on Gaza.
The massive international action comes after Israel intercepted boats in international waters on two prior voyages this summer.
"You failed to act when Members of Congress wrote to you in June, urging you to protect the U.S. citizen passengers on a previous flotilla ship, the Madleen. You failed to act to protect the U.S. citızen passengers on the subsequent ship, the Handala, including U.S. labor leader Chris Smalls who was violently assaulted, choked, and kicked by Israeli soldiers while in Israeli detention after the ship was unlawfully intercepted," the lawmakers wrote.
"The 24 American citizens on board these ships cannot afford another failure of American leadership."
US government required to "protect its citizens from foreign attack"
Several vessels in the Global Sumud Flotilla were around 270 nautical miles from Gaza on Monday. They were soon set to enter the "high-risk zone" where previous boats were intercepted by the Israeli military, according to an Instagram update.
Organizers of the mission last week reported hearing explosions and witnessing drone attacks on some of their boats situated off Greece.
Italy and Spain have announced they are deploying naval ships to escort the flotilla in a bid to protect the civilians on board.
"The law is clear: any attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla or its civilian crew is a clear and blatant violation of international law. The United States has an obligation to protect its citizens from foreign attack. We call on you to deter any further hostile actions against the flotilla and ensure the successful completion of its humanitarian mission," Tlaib and her colleagues urged.
The letter continues, "Above all else, we urge you to address the issue at the root of this voyage: the brutal Israeli blockade and genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza."
"While the Trump administration fails to use its immense leverage to end this blockade and fulfill the United States' binding legal obligations under the Genocide Convention, the activists on board the flotilla are an example of profound solidarity and humanitarianism."