Antigua and Barbuda Issues Ban on Flagged Vessel Suspected of Carrying Arms to Israel
Antigua and Barbuda has taken decisive action to block the use of its flagged vessels in transporting weapons to conflict zones, following reports that the HC Opal is carrying military supplies bound for Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Authorities issued a formal directive prohibiting any vessel registered under the country’s flag from carrying arms or military equipment destined for use in conflict, warning that violators risk detention, deflagging, and legal action. The measure was enacted after the HC Opal, reportedly transporting rocket parts, fuses, and explosives, came under scrutiny for its suspected role in supporting Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Since the directive was announced, the HC Opal has switched off its AIS tracking system—an apparent breach of international maritime safety rules. Its last known position indicated movement toward Israeli ports.
The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement welcomed Antigua and Barbuda’s stance. Mahmoud Nawaja’a, BDS general coordinator, called on the country to investigate and publish the full findings on the cargo and the companies involved. He urged legal action against the ship’s captain, its owner International Maritime Management, and operator Ocean 7 Project.
The ship is believed to be carrying at least 23 containers of explosive materials including TNT, rocket motors, and detonating fuses—components that BDS alleges are used in weapons targeting civilians in Gaza. Dr Shir Hever, Military Embargo Campaign Coordinator for BDS, said the shipment enables Israel’s domestic production of artillery and bombs, citing a growing global military embargo against the country.
Antigua and Barbuda’s move aligns with similar measures by countries such as Malaysia, Namibia, and Turkiye, and reflects a broader push by states in the Global South to halt arms transfers amid accusations of war crimes and genocide by Israel.
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Are you sure these Antiguan politicians band any weapon shipment? Just wait until the deep pocket of the military contractors reach out to them, it was the same Israeli murderers they worked with in the 70’s to come Antigua and test their guns to impress apartheid Botha government the weapon can kill the black people in south Africa with ease.
The Living God will have his say. Let’s watch and see.
I think taking the Headline of “ISRAEL” or “GAZA” or “PALESTINE” is just a hypocrisy. Because the Regulation should be to ANY ARMS TRAFICKING regardless the conflict or country. Right now there is a lot of conflict in Africa worst than this one of Israel and Palestine. And nobody talk about it and there hundreds of boats docking in those countries with arms, those arms only benefits one side, of course the one is dominating the conflict.
DR Congo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan and the Horn of Africa. So those bloody conflict is between WHo? Just check around by yourself and make your own conclusions. I can’t understand how people (Especially black African descendant) are so worry about Palestinian but looking aside to their own kind of people that are suffering more from decades. There is no a single protest against those conflict, but you can see how thousand of protest are in “Support of Palestine” pure hypocrisy supporting people that don’t care a dam cent about you and your community.
I hope Antigua truly have no ties in this. Can’t trust government for nothing
Take down yall flag!! Before this get too late n dutty
I’m writing this because Arnaldo’ s comment struck a chord with me, drawing attention to the atrocities that are currently crushing many Africans. Yet we are silent. Except on ‘Palestine’, where everyone finds their voice despite having little understanding of this conflict.
Black Americans were exploited by the leader of the Palestinians, Yasser Arafat- who was actually Egyptian. The PLO ( Palestinian Liberation Organisation) aligned themselves with the Black Panthers. Photos of Arafat and Malcolm X together were used to forge the illusion that the PLO was about liberation; something Black leaders would be forced to stand united with.
In truth, the PLO sought to destroy the Jews, which is what ‘From the River to the Sea’ means. ‘Liberation’ was the theme, being transparent about their actual aims of annihilation of a people wouldn’t gain as much support. Moreover, they sought to keep the Palestinian people in a perpetual state of war because it earned them billions. They never wanted peace, and the same remains true till this day.
The PLO exploited widespread ignorance of the region and its people. The absurd myth that Arabs were the oppressed brown people, whilst the Jews were the white colonisers was engineered. Most people were unaware that Jews came in all hues, as do the Arabs. Nothing quite like accusing the Jews of colonising (Jews are from Judea) when the Arabs colonised Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.
Jews being ‘white’ conveniently erased the Mizrachi Jews (from Yemen, Egypt etc) and the lie gained traction. The claim that Israel was an apartheid state was another attempt at deceiving the world, and quite frankly is an insult to those that suffered the real deal. Likewise, the term genocide is being exploited by the same nefarious actors.
One Black Panther, Eldridge Cleaver, became fiercely pro- Palestinian. Then he actually went to Algeria in 1969, and to his surprise he discovered that Blacks were still enslaved. These were his words:
” I saw slaves in Algeria. They have slaves in Mauritania. They have slaves in all those countries.”
That was the end of Cleaver’s love affair with ‘Palestine’. The Arabs were responsible for the Trans- Saharan slave trade which lasted for 17 centuries. Slavery still goes on TODAY in countries such as Sudan, Mauritania and Libya.
Islamic Jihad has been terrorising Africans, yet there is a deafening silence. No marches..no speeches from ‘leaders’, the UN or any celebrities. The hypocrisy is nauseating.
What happened to the girls that were kidnapped in Nigeria In 2014? Michelle Obama briefly led—and then abandoned—the well-advertised “#BringBackOurGirls” campaign.
The Sahel, especially Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, is now a terrorism hub, outpacing the Middle East. Yet the world has no interest in the victims of Islamic Jihad. Whether the victims are Israeli or African….the rapes, kidnappings, beheadings, and burning of churches and whole villages are ‘inconvenient’.
Our children are being indoctrinated in US and European universities ( by Qatari money) to champion ‘Palestine’ whilst burning the US flag. These young people are unsure of which river or sea they are chanting about. And even more of them have no idea about the ongoing Arab slave trade. Furthermore, many of them are being captured by the cult of woke and can’t make up their mind whether they identify as a man/woman or cat.
These forces seek to destroy the family. Know who you are, and where you came from before you turn yourself into a zealot for any of these cults. If you don’t know your history and where you came from, then how on earth can you navigate where you go next? Eldridge Cleaver discovered he was not benefitting from the symbiotic relationship between the Black Panthers and Palestine. Beware.
Stay away from his war in Gaza, I am confident that Antigua and Barbuda has nothing to do with it. The BDS is a boycott movement..that likes to bully. February 2024 an advert was released by KFC Antigua featuring a tent. This was manipulated by the pro- Palestinians who claimed that KFC Antigua were mocking Palestinians in tents. Obviously they were not, but it was used to try and boycott KFC.