Climate activist Greta Thunberg delivered a passionate address to reporters immediately following her release from Israeli prison, where she had been detained after participating in an action to break the naval blockade.
Thunberg quickly shifted the focus from her own
"mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment" to a broad condemnation of the current crisis,
stating that the story is not about her, but about ongoing international
violations.
Allegation of
Ongoing Genocide:
Thunberg was unequivocal in her statement regarding the
conflict in the region, declaring that "there is a genocide going on in
front of our very eyes, a live-streamed genocide on all of our phones".
She stressed that widespread awareness eliminates any
future claim of ignorance, asserting that:
- No one has the privilege to say we are not aware of what is happening.
- No one in the future will be able to say we did not know".
Call for Immediate Government Action:
The activist asserted that international law imposes a
"legal obligation to act to prevent and to stop genocide from
happening". Thunberg explicitly outlined the necessary steps for states to
fulfill this duty, including "ending complicity, applying real pressure and
ending arms transfers".
"Our international systems are betraying
Palestinians." Her "So-called leaders who are supposed to represent me, who continue to fuel a genocide, death, and destruction they do not represent
me".
Israeli Violations
and Humanitarian Crisis:
Thunberg's statement accused Israel of "continuing to
worsen and escalate their genocide and mass destruction with genocidal intent, attempting to erase an entire population". She further alleged that Israel
"once again violated international law by preventing humanitarian aid from
getting into Gaza while people are being starved".
Thunberg insisted that the crisis demands more than just
aid, stating: "We do not only need humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, we need
an end to the siege, we need an end to the occupation and the oppression".
The "Global Summer"
and International Solidarity:
The activist spoke briefly about the action that led to her arrest, referring to the "global summer" as "the biggest ever attempt to break Israel's illegal and inhumane siege by sea".
She framed the effort as a powerful example of international solidarity, where people are "stepping up when our governments failed to do so" by "challenging our extremely violent business as usual that is preventing these war crimes from happening".
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