Since the Zionist siege of Gaza began 19 years ago, people from around the world have been organizing to break through it and establish a humanitarian corridor to guarantee that Palestinians receive the supplies they need to survive. International flotillas are one way people challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza. As is occurring with all forms of resistance to the Zionist State, retaliation against activists is escalating. Participants on the most recent flotillas have been subjected to abuse, torture and rape perpetrated by the Israelis with near impunity. On this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Chris Hedges speaks with longtime flotilla organizer and pro-Palestine activist Thiago Ávila to describe his harrowing experience in an Israeli torture dungeon. Ávila recounts in detail the illegal kidnapping of flotilla activists this spring, the abusive treatment, and the activist’s courage in resisting the efforts of the Zionists to intimidate them and attempt to prevent future flotillas. He places the work of the flotilla organizers in the context of a global struggle, which employs a variety of tactics, in support of Palestinian liberation. While flotilla participants are almost guaranteed to be detained and subject to abuse by Israelis on their humanitarian missions, this last effort was met with a uniquely brutal response by the Israelis. Activists were locked in cold cells with minimal water, kept from getting their medications, and when they demanded better treatment in protest, Israeli flashbangs were thrown into their cells and disoriented them as Israeli soldiers launched further physical violence against them. Ávila in particular was brutally tortured, beaten unconscious by Israelis, locked in solitary confinement while blindfolded and zip tied, and constantly threatened with hanging by the Zionist officers jailing him. Despite the horrors inflicted upon the flotilla participants, Ávila emphasizes that their treatment pales in comparison to the severe abuse of Palestinian prisoners, which include children, and the genocide. Hedges states that the actions of the Zionist state are a mirror into “the inversion of the international and moral order” and the West’s complicity, which impacts everyone. Ávila agrees, and adds, “The Palestinian people… show us the lenses to see society as it really is, but also show us the map, that there’s no way out of this except for resisting, except for mobilizing.”
