Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has spoken for the first time about her harrowing experience during her five-day detention by the Israeli military after she was intercepted on a humanitarian ship carrying aid to Gaza. In an exclusive interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, she described how she was insulted, physically and psychologically abused by Israeli forces. According to Thunberg, a red suitcase of hers was the object of ridicule and hatred, covered in sexually offensive drawings, including an Israeli flag. “The Israeli soldiers kept saying that to me over and over again. They insulted me, punched and kicked me, took pictures of me without my permission, simply because they could. It was a total lack of human sensitivity,” she said.
Thunberg, who was arrested along with other members of the humanitarian ship two weeks ago, said her experience is nothing compared to what Palestinians experience on a daily basis:
"It's not about me or the ship. There are thousands and thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of children, imprisoned without trial. Many of them are likely being tortured." "If they dared to treat me like this, a white girl, well-known, with the whole world's attention on me, imagine what they are capable of doing to Palestinians, in secret, away from the eyes of the media," she stressed.
At one point in the story, Thunberg says she saw about 50 people, in inhumane conditions, describing the harsh conditions of Ketziot prison. Thunberg's story has sparked numerous international reactions, including human rights organizations demanding independent investigations into the treatment of activists and prison conditions in Israel. Thunberg is currently back in Sweden, where she is continuing her commitment to human rights and the environment, emphasizing that her experience is a reflection of what Palestinians in Gaza experience every day.
