Italian dockworkers block ships bound for Israel

As the “Flotilla of Resilience” nears the shores of Gaza, tensions are rising in Western Europe. At ports across the continent, dockworkers, organized under the umbrella of trade unions, are mobilizing to prevent cargo bound for Israel from being loaded.

At a meeting held in Genoa, the unions renewed their commitment: if the flotilla is attacked, they will be prepared to stop the loading and unloading of all ships bound for Israeli ports. To that end, a coordination mechanism was established to exchange immediate alerts about shipments.

Italy has become the main focal point of activity. After the port of Genoa led the push, the port of Livorno has also become another key hub. The container ship ZIM Virginia was forced to wait five days off the Tuscan coast, without being granted permission to berth at the terminal — due to a general strike announced by the unions.

Another ZIM vessel, ZIM Iberia, is expected to arrive at Livorno on October 3 and is expected to face similar resistance.

There were also reports of tensions at the port of Genoa, where about 2,000 protesters forced the ZIM New Zealand to leave the terminal without loading a single container, after a report about “ten containers suspected of being linked to Israel.”