Dockworkers from across Europe will converge on Genoa, Italy, on Friday and Saturday to coordinate an effort to block shipments of weapons that could be used in Gaza — but the push could broaden into a much wider trade boycott of Israel.

Italy’s USB union will host trade unionists from ports in Spain, France, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco and Germany to hammer out a joint strategy.

“We hope to come out of this meeting with a plan for serious, concrete action — both immediate and long-term,” said Francesco Staccioli of USB’s confederal executive, who is leading coordination with international partners.

Initially that means focusing on how to react to the Global Sumud Flotilla — a humanitarian aid convoy involving climate activist Greta Thunberg that was targeted by Israeli drones in international waters south of Crete earlier this week. Talks will cover blocking military exports to Israel, but the debate could widen, with moves that may threaten Israel’s trade ties with the EU.

“Looking ahead, it could mean coordinated industrial action in European ports against not just weapons, but all goods directed to Israel,” said Staccioli.

The initiative began as an effort to coordinate Mediterranean dockworkers with the aim of making ports “arms-free zones,” he explained. The urgency grew over the summer as ships loaded with weapons and military equipment bound for Israel docked in Piraeus in Greece, Marseille in France and in Genoa.

“What started as a plan for a common front in the autumn — to step up pressure and disrupt arms loading and unloading in European ports — has been reshaped by recent events,” he said.

The turning point, he said, was the Global Sumud Flotilla — the fourth and largest maritime challenge to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, involving 20 vessels and more than 300 crew. The mission set sail at the beginning of September as Gaza faces a worsening humanitarian crisis, with U.N. agencies warning of famine across the enclave.

The recent attacks against it prompted Italy to dispatch a warship to protect its citizens on board, quickly followed by Spain. Still, on Thursday Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto warned the flotilla not to attempt to force Israel’s Gaza blockade, stressing that Italian ships “will remain in international waters” and will not act as escorts.

“The flotilla changed the game,” Staccioli said. “It amplified the debate and put Gaza front and center, demanding strong, immediate intervention.” USB dockworkers had already warned that if contact with the flotilla is lost, they would immediately move to block all shipments to Israel.

In Italy, a general strike earlier this week — involving workers from both public and private sectors — also drew significant attention in support of the flotilla and the Palestinian cause.

Stronger together

The union said the Genoa meeting will open on Friday with internal talks among port delegations aimed at agreeing on an initial joint mobilization across European and Mediterranean ports.

The following day, dockworker delegations will join a public meeting alongside other workers in the supply chain for transporting or producing war materials. That session will continue discussions on strikes against the loading and unloading of weapons.

The unions involved carry significant weight in European shipping. Spain’s Coordinadora dominates dock labor in the country’s biggest ports. France’s CGT Port & Docks forms part of the country’s largest union confederation. In Greece and Cyprus, the participating unions are the dominant forces in Piraeus and Limassol. And in Morocco, the ODT represents dockworkers in Tangier — a vital gateway for Mediterranean trade.

The Genoa gathering is the latest in a series of union actions aimed at curtailing arms traffic to Israel. In June, dockworkers in Marseille blocked a shipment of military materiel bound for Israel. In July, hundreds of people gathered at Piraeus — one of Europe’s largest ports — to stop a shipment of military-grade steel.

“Everything that has happened has put our coordination in a new place,” Staccioli said. “The ports are now strategic battlegrounds — and we need a common stance and stronger coordination.”