“We will return,” Mandla Mandela told Israeli authorities during his release from custody after the Global Sumud Flotilla he joined to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza was halted.
Mandela and five others from SA were among at least 4,000 activists from across the globe who sailed international waters on a dozen boats to deliver food and other aid to people in Palestine.
Their mission was cut short when they were intercepted in international waters by Israeli authorities who detained them, claiming they had entered Israel illegally.
They were all taken to a prison in Ashdod, where they were detained for six days.
On their release, Mandela told Israeli authorities they would plan another humanitarian mission for Palestinians.
“We will return. We are unshaken, and arriving here at home, we will begin working on Flotilla No 2,” Mandela said.
He was speaking at a media briefing at Joburg’s OR Tambo International Airport hours after landing from Jordan, where they were taken after being released by Israeli authorities.
An emotional Mandela spoke about the harassment they had been subjected to by Israeli authorities, who he said had been hell-bent on embarrassing them.
On their interception by the Israeli navy, Mandela said they had been tightly handcuffed behind their backs with cable ties, “taken off our boats and put on the platform, paraded for all the Israelis and their allies in Europe and the West and the global community to see”.
However, he said this had not dampened their spirits to seek justice for the people of Palestine.
“Comrades, a people united can never be defeated,” he said.
“We were subjected to all forms of brutality by them.
“It’s nothing compared to what Palestinians have been subjected to on a daily basis.
“We were kidnapped in international waters. Palestinians are attacked, maimed and killed.
“This can never be about us. The narrative has to constantly be about the Palestinians and the atrocities that are daily meted out against them.
“What we embarked on, we knew it was not going to be easy, and therefore while we were in Tunisia, we found ourselves victims of the attacks of the apartheid Israel regime.
“The family boat and Alma were bombed in a sovereign state, that being Tunisia.
“I want to be clear that ours was a humanitarian mission. It was a non-violent mission that sought to break the blockade and end the siege that has been ongoing for 18 years, enabling humanitarian aid to get to our brothers and sisters in Gaza.”
TimesLIVE
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