Workers in the Italian port of Genoa blocked the passage of a Saudi ship transporting shipments of weapons for Israel.
The ship Bahri Yanbu, operated by the Saudi shipping company Bahri, arrived from Baltimore in the United States (U.S.) state of Maryland, and was scheduled to load military equipment produced by the Italian arms manufacturer Leonardo, including an Oto Melara gun intended for Abu Dhabi, along with tanks or other heavy military equipment that was allegedly already placed in the terminal yard.
Routine inspections revealed that the ship was transporting weapons and ammunition for Israel after 40 dockworkers boarded the vessel.
“We don’t work for war,” said Jose Nivoi from the Autonomous Collective of Port Workers and the Union Sindicale di Base, adding that the Port Authority had promised talks on establishing “permanent monitoring of the arms trade.”
Italian union leaders warned that handling such shipments amounts to complicity in the war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, promising a ban on unloading weapons intended for war zones “in any way.”
Dockworkers in Genoa had already intercepted a similar shipment of weapons on the same ship in 2019.
This incident is the latest in a series of similar interceptions, signaling growing international opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
On June 4th, French dockworkers refused to load weapons components intended for Israel at the Port of Marseille Fos, forcing the ship to leave the port without cargo.
The latest interception comes as Israel plans the full occupation of Gaza City. The brutal Israeli siege of the Strip is further worsening the severe famine that in recent weeks has killed dozens of people, including children.
Publicly, Saudi Arabia demands the establishment of a Palestinian state in exchange for official normalization of relations with Israel, despite secret agreements between Riyadh and Tel Aviv. As far back as 2023, former Saudi intelligence colonel Rabih al-Anzi admitted that Saudi Arabia was helping arm Israel for the war against Hamas due to a shortage of Western weapons as a result of the war in Ukraine.
In June this year, Anzi also stated that Riyadh supports Israel’s war against Iran by opening its airspace to Israeli planes and helping intercept Iranian drones.
Other Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, have contributed to Israel’s military industry and economy during the war in Gaza.
Defense cooperation between the UAE and Israel has expanded sharply since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020. The latest deal, not yet finalized, envisions the Emirati group Edge buying a Hermes 900 drone from the Israeli military company Elbit Systems.
Foto: Unione Sindacale di Base
