Israeli Piracy, License to Kill, and Western Complicity in the Erosion of International Law

Posted on by Elijah J Magnier

By Elijah J. Magnier

On 10 June 2025, the Israeli navy forcibly seized the Freedom Flotilla ship Madleen in international waters — an act of piracy under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The West’s reaction? Near silence. The raid violated Article 87 of UNCLOS, which guarantees freedom of navigation on the high seas, but Western governments looked the other way.

This is no isolated incident. For decades, Israel has been allowed to breach international law with impunity. From piracy to assassinations, from collective punishment to settlement building, each violation chips away at the idea that law applies to all equally. And each time, the West’s selective silence emboldens further violations — not just by Israel, but by others watching the double standard.

The 2010 Israeli assault on the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara offers one of the clearest early examples of Israeli piracy and unaccountability. The ship was part of a flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, then under Israeli blockade. Israeli commandos boarded the vessel in international waters, killing nine Turkish activists (a tenth later died of wounds).

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Published by Elijah J Magnier

Veteran War Zone Correspondent and Senior Political Risk Analyst with over 35 years' experience covering the Middle East and acquiring in-depth experience, robust contacts and political knowledge in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan and Syria. Specialised in terrorism and counter-terrorism, intelligence, political assessments, strategic planning and thorough insight in political networks in the region. Covered on the ground the Israeli invasion to Lebanon (1st war 1982), the Iraq-Iran war, the Lebanese civil war, the Gulf war (1991), the war in the former Yugoslavia (1992-1996), the US invasion to Iraq (2003 to date), the second war in Lebanon (2006), the war in Libya and Syria (2011 to date). Lived for many years in Lebanon, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Syria.