On his birthday, Ghent resident Isja Puissant (26) landed safely in Belgium together with a dozen other pro-Palestinian activists. The passengers of the Global Sumud Flotilla aid convoy, which was on its way to Gaza, were violently intercepted by the Israeli army on Monday. “We were put in cages and every time we looked around we were beaten up,” says Isja, for whom the reunion with his parents was particularly emotional. “We are back now, but the Palestinian prisoners remain in custody. That is not possible.”
Regional journalist at HLN
Source: BELGA
Dozens of people gathered in the arrivals hall of Zaventem on Friday afternoon to receive the activists. Among them were Puissant’s parents, who had to wait anxiously for news about their son in recent days. When they met again, they flew into each other’s arms, crying. Numerous friends, sympathizers of the Flotilla and various politicians were also present. Slogans such as ‘Viva Palestina’ and ‘Israel go to hell’ could be heard as the activists entered the entrance hall.
Puissant immediately testified about what he had to endure during his arrest. “First of all, I stand here with sadness. I have seen things that should not actually be possible,” he says with a broken voice. “It will take some time to give that a place, to convert it and to try to do something about it.”
“Fortunately, I personally have nothing left that will not go away,” he tells the press present, clearly affected. “But there have already been 40 broken bones and 20 cases of sexual violence. I have seen a lot happen next to me. We had to spend hours and hours on our knees and were put in cages. I was also brutally beaten. It went from bad to worse. Every time we looked around we were beaten up, because of course they don’t want this to come out.”
People have been attacked by the Israeli army throughout the Mediterranean. I have the feeling that there is hardly any response to that
Yet Isja doesn’t hesitate for a second when asked if he would do it again. “It’s a risk, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. The people who live there don’t have the choice to do that. The people who live there have been living under oppression for decades, so if we can bring a little attention to that, we should do it.” But leaving again immediately is not an option. “We will reevaluate that in the coming days, weeks and months.”
He immediately complains about the little media attention given to what he believes are the many boats that have been attacked. “People have been attacked by the Israeli army throughout the Mediterranean. I have the feeling that there is almost no response. I don’t know how we ended up in this society, and I hope we can do something about it. We are back now, but the Palestinian prisoners remain in custody. That is not possible.”
Scandal
Isja’s father also testified to the press about the month that he had to miss his son. “Every day and night it has been restless for us. We were able to hear Isja every now and then, but that was not always possible on the boat,” he says. “The boat was stopped for the first time on April 30, but so few people responded that it was a safe conduct for everything that has followed,” the father said. “That makes me very angry. This is a scandal. My son is not in the worst condition, but some have been treated particularly harshly. I maintain that all this could have been prevented.”
Puissant believes that the Belgian federal government has shrouded itself in silence for too long. “If Belgium had already responded on April 30, none of this would have happened. It is also not the first time that there has been silence. That gives the most radical people in Israel a feeling of overconfidence. They are given a safe conduct.”
West Flemish activist Arno Meyns (34) was also released. His mother confirmed this on Friday. The man said he was abused and suffered, among other things, a collapsed lung.
