"By failing to inform readers that the Madleen was intercepted in international waters — and that such an act violates multiple instruments of international law — your reporting presents Israel’s abhorrent actions as permissible, rather than as grave breaches of international humanitarian law that is supposedly designed to protect civilian vessels and humanitarian missions."
June 19, 2025
To the CBC News team,
I am writing to suggest some changes to your recent article, “Israel may still have the Madleen aid boat. But organizers are already planning their next journey to Gaza” (Thursday, June 19, 2025) that would help to provide your readers with critical context needed to understand the full scope of Israel’s actions.
First, let me start by thanking Yasmine Hassan for sharing the story of Madleen Kolab, the Palestinian fisherwoman after whom the aid boat is named. It is refreshing to see Western media coverage that is balanced and humanizes the experiences of people living under Israel’s genocidal siege and bombardment in occupied Palestine.
Furthermore, in telling the story of the Madleen, the Handala and previous expeditions by the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the article does a great job of highlighting that Israel’s siege started long before October 7, 2023. In fact, we know that the Israeli occupation forces have been deliberately restricting aid and conditioning its entry as a form of collective punishment since 2008.
What was absent from the article was any mention of international law. The Gaza Freedom Flotilla’s Madleen was intercepted by Israeli drones in international waters — approximately 100 nautical miles (185 km) from Gaza. As such, Israel had no legal jurisdiction to interfere with the vessel, let alone to intercept it. The Madleen was a civilian ship transporting humanitarian aid — not a military threat — and its interception constitutes a direct violation of international law.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, under Article 8(2)(b)(xxv), criminalizes the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, including the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid. The Israeli occupation forces’ interception of the Madleen and confiscation of its cargo — including baby formula, medical equipment, and water filters — constitutes a clear violation of this statute and amounts to a war crime.
By failing to inform readers that the Madleen was intercepted in international waters — and that such an act violates multiple instruments of international law — your reporting presents Israel’s abhorrent actions as permissible, rather than as grave breaches of international humanitarian law that is supposedly designed to protect civilian vessels and humanitarian missions.
I, therefore, ask that you update your coverage to reflect this legal context and ensure that future coverage includes this critical information.
Nikki Mutch
Volunteer
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East