Ramallah – Ma’an – The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and its partners announced the success of the #BlockTheBoat campaign in preventing the Catherine, a ship loaded with explosives, from reaching Israel.

The movement said that thanks to its continued pressure, the Maltese government prevented the ship from entering its waters, while other countries such as Namibia and Angola refused to allow it to dock in their ports.

The ship, flying the Portuguese flag, was carrying eight containers of explosives used in the manufacture of high-explosive bombs, which were headed to Israel to bolster its military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The Portuguese government responded to popular and union pressure and forced the ship to remove its flag.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, also called for an investigation into the ship’s case, stressing that any transfer of military equipment to Israel constitutes a violation of the Convention on the Prevention
and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

In this context, the BDS movement called for escalating pressure on governments to prevent complicity with the Israeli colonial regime and to impose military sanctions on it.

Source: Maan News Agency