On-demand logistics giant Maersk has severed its ties to the genocide – Mondoweiss

Lina PortmanJune 5, 2024

14 2 minutes read

Editor's note: The Palestinian Youth Movement released the following statement on June 3, 2024. To learn more, visit maskoffmaersk.com.

Today, the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) announced the new transnational arms embargo campaign, “Mask Off Maersk,” targeting Maersk, the world's largest integrated logistics and shipping company. Organizers aim to end Maersk's pervasive role in transporting and supplying weapons and weapons components used by Israel in its genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Since October, the Danish shipping and logistics giant has transported more than $300 million worth of weapons components from around the world, including Europe, to U.S. weapons manufacturers. This represents a quarter of known US shipments to Northrup Gruman, Woodward, RTX/Raytheon and Lockheed Martin since the start of the current genocide in Gaza. With 68% of arms sales to Israel coming from the United States, Maersk is an integral part of the global flow of weapons that fuels the Israeli occupation forces' current bombing and ground operations in Gaza.

“Although 68% of arms sales to Israel come from the US, we know the UK government is complicit, with more than £448m worth of weapons licensed to Israel since 2015. Furthermore, we know “The critical components of the F-35 fighter jets that are currently being used to massacre Palestinians in Gaza are made here in Britain,” said Nadya Tannous of the PYM. She added that “Maersk ships weapons and weapons components, which means that Maersk is actively facilitating the flow of weapons to Israel. Maersk then guarantees the constant supply necessary for the destruction of Gaza.

In the campaign announcement made at the People's Conference for Palestine in Detroit, Michigan, the PYM highlighted the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) injunction for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which which raises the question of Maersk's liability for flouting the order of a court that has binding jurisdiction over Denmark, the country where Maersk is headquartered. The legal consensus reached by the Court, as well as the injunction itself, is binding on all members of the ICJ, including Copenhagen: by continuing to circumvent the ICJ decision by shipping weapons to Israel, Maersk is guilty , under international law, of complicity. an occupying power which was found to be actively engaged in indiscriminate attacks against a besieged civilian population.

“Weapons manufacturers outsource the production of weapons components, such as fighter jet wings, munitions and engines. These components are then placed in a shipping container and taken to weapons manufacturing factories, where they are assembled and then shipped to Israel to carry out the genocide of the Palestinians. Logistics companies play an invisible but insidious and central role in manufacturing and profiting from the weapons Israel uses to kill Palestinians. The mask is removed. The people must demonstrate what the true cost of supporting the genocide is,” Tannous said.

The international campaign will bring together unions, student movements, community organizations, legal organizations and other pro-Palestinian and progressive organizations to pressure Maersk to end its complicity in the supply chain of arms trade to Israel, which represents a small part of their overall business portfolio. The campaign will adopt a multi-layered strategy against Maersk, including pension and endowment divestment, industrial action, picketing and direct action, legal campaigns, and the cancellation of existing city and campus collaborations.

The PYM invites organizations to support the Mask Off Maersk campaign and individuals to sign the petition to support the campaign's demands: