Last week, Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, detaining the hundreds of activists on board who were en route to deliver aid to Gaza. And in the days since, many of those activists – including Zeteo contributor Greta Thunberg – sounded the alarm on Israel’s violent and inhumane treatment.
One of those activists detained by Israel was Jewish American writer and activist David Adler. In an exclusive interview with Zeteo’s Prem Thakker just hours after his release, he details his experience in Israeli prison, where activists were left to “rot” without access to basic necessities like food, water, and medication.
He recalls being “strip-searched, zip-tied, and blindfolded” as he was intercepted by Israeli forces before being left to “rot in these dungeons.”
At one point, Adler says, he was singled out for being Jewish, ripped away by his ear, and forced to get on his knees to take a photo op with the Israeli flag, as Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir yelled into his face, calling him a terrorist.
He explains, “Any form of disloyalty or speaking out or speaking up about basic things like medical treatment, they would come and basically throw your head to the ground, shackle your hands behind your back, and then take you to either sit in the hot sun or sit in total isolation and shackle your ankles as well and just leave you there for the day.”
“This is routine for Palestinians who are in indefinite detention, let alone in torture camps,” he adds.
Watch the full conversation above or on YouTube to also hear David discuss his treatment as a Jewish activist receiving “special interrogation by Ben-Gvir” and the US’s lack of response to his illegal detention.
Catch up some of Zeteo’s latest stories:
