The interception of the Flotilla off Greece and the abduction of its activists were serious Israeli aggressions in European waters. The activists, once released on ongoing claims, were also mistreated by Greek forces. And, even worse, the Zionist forces are holding Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek, coordinators of the Flotilla, hostage in Israel. It is necessary to make a great worldwide campaign for their liberation.
By Ruben Tzanoff
A kidnapping that generated unrest and action
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted 22 ships and seized 179 solidarity activists sailing off the coast of Greece, bound for Gaza on a humanitarian mission. The brutality of the provocation, under the nose of the European Union (EU), met with a swift response mobilized in defense of the Flotilla. It also provoked the discomfort and even the response of some governments.
This acted positively so that the abducted activists were not transferred to Israeli prisons, as they were last year, when they were held for almost a week. However, there were two companions who were not handed over to the Greek authorities in the southern port of Crete: they were Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek. It is not a coincidence, it is the Zionist modus operandi: to try to dismantle the leaders of the organizations that confront their genocidal plans. When the majority of the crew landed and were led to the buses to be transferred to Heraklion International Airport, they realized that Thiago and Saif were missing and demanded their release. The response was brutal.
The Greek authorities were complicit
The Greek police forces brutally repressed the comrades: 34 of them were wounded and some of them had to receive medical attention in the hospital of the region. It was the corollary of a complicit action that turned a blind eye to the presence of warships on its coasts, the acts of piracy and the SOS of the disabled ships left adrift in the face of an approaching storm. The words of Cele and Raul will have a great testimonial value.
In tune with the kidnappers, the Greek forces continued the mistreatment, even threatening the activists with expulsion instead of their voluntary departure from the country, which is what finally happened. They treated the victims as criminals and the aggressors as friends.
Torture, lies and transfer to Israel
During the Israeli kidnapping, the comrades were subjected to the worst conditions: abuse of authority, lack of water, lack of hygiene and everything imaginable, as Cele told us: “We spent two horrible days”. The testimonies are extremely serious and give an account of the torture suffered by Thiago and Saif at the hands of the IDF.
This inhumane action represents the continuity of the methods they have been applying since 1948 on the Palestinian people and their supporters. It is State terrorism and is accompanied, as always, by great falsehoods and misrepresentations in an attempt to justify the unjustifiable. The State of Israel confirmed that both companions – under false accusations as usual – are being held hostage in Shikma prison in Askalan, north of Gaza in occupied Palestine.
Who are Thiago and Saif?
Both are activists and coordinators of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Saif Abukeshek has Swedish and Spanish nationality, with more than two decades of residence; he is of Palestinian origin, born in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, West Bank. He has always participated in solidarity missions in different Mediterranean ports, such as Tunisia, Sicily and Crete.
He is co-founder in Spain of the Global Movement to Gaza, member of the Palestinian Community in Catalonia and current spokesman and leader of the Global Sumud Flotilla. He is also linked to trade union circles and defends that his action is strictly civilian, rejecting Israel’s accusations linking him to Hamas.
On this occasion, he was not planning to enter Gaza, but to participate as an observer on one of the ships, taking precautions to avoid risky areas. His wife, Salli Issa, has emphasized his commitment to humanitarian causes and his concern to act within the law. Following his arrest, she has made representations to the governments of Spain and Sweden, stressing the urgency of acting before a possible transfer to Israeli territory and denouncing the lack of information on his whereabouts.
Thiago Avila is Brazilian and an international activist committed to humanitarian missions, particularly involved in the Flotilla. He promotes non-violent direct actions to denounce the blockade of Gaza. The governments of Spain and Brazil demand the release of both activists.
The LIS commitment
Our comrades on board, Cele Fierro and Raul Laguna, representing the MST-Argentina and the International Socialist League (ISL), immediately demanded the freedom of Thiago and Saif, as did the organizations of the ISL in the five continents, in broad unity of action with different sectors. And, at the May 1 event in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Alejandro Bodart, coordinator of the TUI, expressed our commitment to Palestine, the Flotilla and the campaign for the release of Saif and Thiago: “We are going to organize a worldwide campaign for their freedom and we will not stop until our comrades are free”.
We have already started to comply: we have to set up a united campaign for the freedom of our comrades, extend and deepen the actions, spread the statements and demand that the governments make demands. Those of Spain and Brazil have already done so, but it is not only about the authorities of the countries of origin of Thiago and Saif: all governments have to put pressure, especially those of the EU, since the kidnapping took place within their maritime boundaries. We cannot allow solidarity activists to be imprisoned by war criminals and perpetrators of genocide against the Palestinian people. We also demand the freedom of all Palestinians imprisoned in the worst conditions. Let us fight for the liberation of all and for Palestine itself, from the river to the sea, as a cause for all humanity.
