Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir circulated a video showing himself mocking the kidnapped activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla. His attempts to intimidate those who defend the Palestinian cause do not succeed in breaking them, on the contrary, they generate more rejection and temperance. Let us promote actions for the immediate release of the activists and all Palestinian prisoners.
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By Oda Cuentas and Rubén Tzanoff
Genocides and provocateurs
A new provocation by the Israeli government has once again generated international outrage and repudiation. The Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, released a video in which he appears mocking and showing activists of the Global Flotilla Sumud intercepted again when it was heading towards Gaza with humanitarian aid.
The images, which quickly circulated on social networks, were denounced by organizations and activists as a sign of humiliation and degrading treatment of those participating in a solidarity mission.
The attacks on sight make one reflect on the inhumane and fascist treatment of the more than 9,000 Palestinian prisoners, including more than 400 children, in prisons without witnesses.
While Palestine continues to go through a dramatic humanitarian situation, the political message that Zionism seeks to install is clear: punish and discipline those who try to break the siege and express solidarity.
New escalation of harassment
The Flotilla departed as part of an international initiative promoted by activists, organizations and solidarity leaders with the aim of bringing humanitarian aid and denouncing the blockade and the devastation that Gaza is going through.
For years, various similar initiatives have been attempting to challenge the blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory and to make visible to the world the human consequences of the war, the occupation and the policies of suffocation against the civilian population. In this context, the arrest or detention of participants in this type of actions usually generates an immediate international reaction.
This time, in addition to the interception that included the collision of warships with civilian vessels and gunfire, the aggression against the activists escalated with the deliberate dissemination of images from sectors of the Israeli government itself.
A video of impunity: the provocation of the Israeli minister
Ben-Gvir is perhaps one of those characters who bring together in a single person all the most violent aspects of the Zionist regime: arrogance, cynicism and cruelty. The images he disseminated confirm this. It is neither a coincidence nor an individual excess. The public use of detained people for mockery and provocation constitutes a political message addressed both to those who were detained and to millions of people who support the Palestinian cause around the world.
The intent is obvious: to turn an act of international solidarity into a warning. But the effect can be the opposite. Every arrogant gesture and every provocation ends up awakening new expressions of rejection and broadening international solidarity with Palestine. Because behind every attempt to humiliate and prosecute activists in the Flotilla and around the world, far from breaking them, it reaffirms them in the confrontation with Zionism.
More mobilization for the freedom of kidnapped colleagues
Solidarity actions and public denunciations took place in different European cities demanding the release of the activists and repudiating the Israeli government’s policies. Rallies, statements and campaigns on social networks showed once again that the Palestinian cause continues to mobilize thousands. In Argentina, there was a rally at the Foreign Ministry to demand the release of the activists.
The experience of the last few months has shown something important: international pressure does have an impact. Large mobilizations, pronouncements and organized solidarity have managed to place the situation in Gaza at the center of the world debate and to increase the political cost of the complicit silence of many governments.
It is necessary to multiply campaigns, mobilizations and solidarity actions in every country to demand the immediate release of activists and respect for their rights, as well as the release of all Palestinian prisoners.
It is also necessary to demand that the governments of origin of the people being held act concretely to guarantee their protection and demand their immediate release, instead of looking the other way. And that all governments put aside their cynicism and partnership with the genocidal state and break off relations with Israel!
