Greta Thunberg said that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is obliged to fulfill his “legal duty to act to prevent genocide,” The Guardian reported. In an interview while traveling with an international humanitarian flotilla to Gaza, the Swedish activist stressed that there is a lack of commitment from governments that, under international law, bear responsibility to respond.

Thunberg warned Starmer ahead of his possible meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog: “The words we will use to describe people who stood on the wrong side of history, supporting or committing war crimes, don’t yet exist, but we will use them for people like [Starmer].” She emphasized that people around the world “are waking up” to what is happening to Palestinians and refuse “to watch a genocide live.”

Downing Street did not confirm whether the prime minister will meet with Herzog, who was cited at the International Court of Justice after he blamed “the entire Palestinian people” for Hamas’s attack of 7 October 2023, when around 1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted.

Thunberg is among the hundreds of activists in the “Global Sumud Flotilla” — a mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, where according to the UN the population is facing “plain and simple” famine. This is her second mission, after in June she and 11 other members of the crew of the ship “Madeleine” were detained by Israeli authorities in international waters a day before reaching shore.

The flotilla, part of the Freedom Flotilla coalition that has been sending ships with aid to the enclave since 2008, is transporting food, infant formula, and medical supplies, but also aims to draw attention to a situation in which, according to available data, at least 63,633 Palestinians have been killed to date. The mission is not without risk — ten activists have already been killed, and many others injured in previous attempts.

German activist Yasemin Acar, also part of the mission, said: “Many people around the world call this a suicidal mission and that we are going into the belly of the beast — and it’s true. We see what is happening to Palestinians. But the question is why should we fear for our lives when we are bringing solely humanitarian aid to a population that is being deliberately starved, supported by so many governments.”

Thunberg acknowledged that there is a risk they could be killed since, in her words, Israel is “empowered to act unlawfully” due to the lack of consequences from the international community. “If we were guided by international law, by common sense and the most basic humanitarian values, there would be no reason at all for Israel to attack us. But we see that the country considers itself an exception to the law, and the world largely allows them to act without serious consequences,” she said.

Brazilian activist Tiago Avila added that the missions are not becoming safer, but that international attention is the only thing that protects them from death. “That’s why we ask people to share the mission on social media — not because Israel has no desire to kill us, but because it cannot afford the political cost,” he said.

Thunberg, the youngest-ever Time Person of the Year in 2019 and a five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, said: “It is becoming clear from the words and actions of people around the world that there is global support for this movement. The world does not stand behind war criminals. Every day, footage comes out of Gaza from incredibly brave journalists who risk their lives to show the atrocities. People are waking up.”

The accusations against Israel include deliberately inducing famine and the killing of civilians, including medics and aid workers. Over the past 22 months, at least 248 journalists have been killed in Gaza. “No one has the luxury anymore to say they were not aware. Every day we see footage of children dying of hunger, of parents searching for parts of their children’s bodies under the rubble,” Thunberg said.

“Anyone with humanity and common sense can see that there is absolutely no justification for this, regardless of the absurd arguments Israel fabricates. But as they escalate the genocide, we escalate the resistance. We will not stand by and watch a genocide live.”

Israel rejects the accusations of genocide and claims that its actions in Gaza are aimed at destroying Hamas and freeing the Israeli hostages. | BGNES