"Disobedience :"An Interview with Jean-Luc Mélenchon. "

 

The text below is an interview with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the "France Insoumise" movement, with Tariq Ali, editor-in-chief of the quarterly "New Left Review," on July 11. Al-Akhbar, a leading Lebanese newspaper, is publishing a translation of the most prominent points, given the importance of the article's coverage of international developments, the nature of the US-China tension, and its implications.

⚫ Let's start directly with Gaza. We hope this is the final stage of this Israeli war. The human toll will reach hundreds of thousands of dead, and perhaps approach half a million. No Western country has made a serious attempt to stop it. Last month, Trump ordered the Israelis to sign a ceasefire agreement with Iran, and when Israel violated it, he became furious. To use his immortal phrase: "They don't know what they're doing." But this leads me to ask: Do you think the Americans know what they're doing?

-We must try to understand the logic of these Western countries. It is not enough to say that Trump is crazy or that the Europeans are cowards; they may be, but what they are doing is based on a long-term plan—a plan that failed in the past, but is now being implemented.
This plan is based, first, on reorganizing the entire Middle East to ensure access to oil for the countries of the Global North; and, second, on creating the conditions necessary for a war with China.

The first goal dates back to the Iran-Iraq War, when the United States used Saddam Hussein's regime as a tool to contain the Iranian revolution. After the fall of the Soviet Union, they launched the Gulf War, and Bush Sr. declared a "new world order." From the outset, I viewed this as an attempt to control oil and gas pipelines and protect American energy independence by maintaining prices at a level that ensured the viability of oil extraction through hydraulic fracturing, the technology they employ.

When we understand these basic imperial ambitions, we understand other events more clearly.
For example, what did the United States do in Afghanistan after the 2001 invasion? It blocked an oil pipeline through Iran.
The war against ISIS in Syria was, in many ways, also a war over a pipeline.
This, then, is a largely logical chain. An empire is only truly an empire if it can maintain control over certain resources—and that is precisely what is happening today.

The United States has decided to redraw the map of the Middle East, using Israel as a tool and ally.
They realize that Israel must be rewarded for this role. This has been achieved by politically supporting the "Greater Israel" project, in which the Palestinian population in Gaza and elsewhere is supposed to disappear.

If Europe and the United States had wanted to stop this war, it would have ended within three or four days of Israeli responses after October 7. But it has been going on for more than twenty months, so no one can claim that the Americans don't know what they are doing. What is happening in the region is intentional, planned, and orchestrated in coordination between the United States and Netanyahu.

⚫ You mentioned that the second part of the American plan is to clash with China. Many liberals and center-leftists today see what is happening in the Middle East as horrific, and that the real enemy should be China. But they don't realize that China is actually the real target, because, as you said, if the United States controlled all the region's oil—as it would if Iran fell—it would control the flow of this vital commodity. It could then force Beijing to beg for it, which would help keep it under control. So, while the American strategy in the Middle East may look completely crazy from the outside—and it is, on many levels—it also has a deep logic: it is better to fight China this way, and or even wage a war against it.

-I firmly believe that the day will come when we will have an "Insoumise" government capable of asserting sovereignty over our domestic production and our foreign policy: a government that recognizes that China, while a threat to the imperial system, is not a threat to us. This is what I am fighting for.

If the capitalist system continues to dominate, with neoliberals remaining in power, humanity will be on the road to destruction. The reason is simple: capitalism is a suicidal system that profits from the disasters it creates. Every previous system was forced to stop when it produced too much chaos. But this system isn't like that. If it rains heavily, it sells you an umbrella. If it gets too hot, it sells you ice cream or air conditioning.

As for Germany, that's a different matter. As you know, in France we often say, "Our German friends." Well, the Germans are nobody's friends. They always think only of their own national interests. They break agreements with us all the time. And today, they're ready to invest $46 billion in their war economy because they lost the battle for the auto industry more than fifteen years ago.

However, even the Germans learned a harsh lesson from the United States. They ended up relying on Gazprom for their energy. Mr. Schröder went to work for this company and got a good deal with the Russians. Then the Americans came and said, "Stop," and Nord Stream was destroyed. You see, the empire strikes down anyone who disobeys its orders.

⚫ What do you think the world will be like at the end of this century?

- The only thing we can know for sure is that humanity will either have to find a way to unite to confront climate change, or it will collapse. There will always be people who survive storms, droughts, and floods. But technicians will not be able to hold society together as a whole. In France, we have some of the best technicians in the world, but they are foolish enough to think that things will remain as they are.
They are planning to build new nuclear plants as part of their climate strategy, but nuclear plants cannot operate without cooling, and cooling requires cold water, which is becoming increasingly scarce.

We've already started shutting down some stations because temperatures have become excessive.
This is just one example, but there are dozens of other cases where political decisions are made as if the world will remain as it is.
As materialists, we must approach political action within the confines of an ecosystem threatened with collapse. Unless we start from this premise, our arguments are worthless.

We can also look at the issue from a geopolitical perspective. Today, 90% of global trade is carried out by sea. But this is not necessarily the easiest way to transport goods. Several studies have already shown that rail transport is safer, faster, and often cheaper. We can therefore imagine that as the climate deteriorates, the Chinese will begin to explore alternative routes for exporting their products. The Beijing-Berlin route will be essential in connecting them to Europe; remember, China previously chose Germany as the final destination of one of the Silk Roads. The other major route passes through Tehran and enters Europe from the south. China will have a global advantage in developing these new trade channels because it is the dominant power in terms of technical efficiency—a crucial feature of “traditional” capitalism.

The United States, however, no longer possesses that technical capability. The Americans are unable even to maintain the International Space Station orbiting Earth, while the Chinese replace their space station crew every six months. The Americans can barely send anything into space, while the Chinese finally landed a robot on the dark side of the moon.
“Westerners”—and I put the word in quotation marks because I don’t like it; I don’t consider myself a “Westerner”—are too self-absorbed to acknowledge this imbalance.

In short, if the capitalist system continues to dominate, with neoliberals remaining in power, humanity will be on the road to destruction. The reason is simple: capitalism is a suicidal system that benefits from the disasters it creates. Every previous system was forced to stop when it produced too much chaos. But this system isn't like that. If it rains heavily, it sells you an umbrella. If it gets too hot, it sells you ice cream or air conditioning.

In the coming decades, collectivist systems will demonstrate that collectivism offers a more satisfying perspective for human beings than liberal competitiveness. On a very personal level, I would venture a prediction: I believe that before the end of this century—and perhaps even sooner—the United States of America will cease to exist.

Why? Because it's not a real nation, but a country at war with all its neighbors since its founding. Samuel Huntington described it as an intrinsically unstable structure and predicted that Spanish would become its dominant language. Today, about half of the population of the United States speaks Spanish at home, and this group is predominantly Catholic, unlike the Enlightenment Protestants who founded the country. These linguistic and cultural dynamics are crucial. People are deeply attached to their mother tongue—the language in which a mother sings to her child and says "I love you" to a partner.

In California—a state that was taken from Mexico in 1822 and has the sixth-largest economy in the world by GDP—Spanish is now more widely spoken than English.

Therefore, it's no surprise that the California independence campaign is gaining momentum, and a referendum may even be held next year. I don't know if it will succeed, but it's remarkable that a key state in the global superpower is actively considering secession. And we're bound to see more of this in the future. The country's prevailing ideology—"each for itself"—will not be able to maintain its unity.

 A very realistic and factual analysis, describing what is the position of the Western world in general and the US in particular, I received it originally by email and translated to Arabic , from its original French version, the present format and the English translation are mine and Google's, again and always to the benefit and better understanding of my good readers.                               

                                As always, all my thanks to all.   

A SAVAGE INEQUALITY......

 

The focus on individual political dramas is set against a backdrop of escalating income inequality, a condition historically proven to breed rebellion and violence. The discussion turned sharply to the emergence of Musk as the world’s first trillionaire, a financial milestone achieved under circumstances that many find morally repugnant given the surrounding hardship.

Statistical realities presented a severe counterpoint to this wealth:

• 50% of workers reportedly cannot afford health care.

• One in five children in America rely on SNAP benefits.

• One in eight adults are on SNAP.

• GoFundMe pages are dominated by campaigns for medical bills (250,000 pages) and tuition payments (40,000).

This extreme disparity leads to the strong assertion that billionaires should not exist if wealth were properly redistributed and taxed, framing such extreme accumulation as a failure of the system—America’s “enduring sin being capitalism.” The narrative argues that the celebration of such wealth, while citizens struggle to afford groceries, illustrates an oppressive system where the powerful, the metaphorical “Pharaohs,” are rewarded for behavior deemed parasitic and self-serving.

Conclusion: A Call for Integrity

Ultimately, the events analyzed point toward a profound crisis of integrity. Whether discussing political figures ignoring immediate crises to focus on popular prescription drugs or the awarding of astronomical wealth while basic needs go unmet, the underlying theme is a political class seemingly detached from the reality of the American populace. The hope expressed is for a return to a time when elected officials at least pretended to stand on conviction.

The core question remains: In an age of such visible wealth and pressing need, how long before this egregious disparity between the haves and have-nots finally breaks?

A good analysis about a topic hurting many countries in the world, including the US. generated by acute inequality in the distribution of wealth, all as a result of unchecked Capitalism and a blind reign of few excessively rich oligarchs controlling the politicians of their countries and even foreign ones. 

The article was copied as part of a longer discussion by Wajahat Ali and Danielle Moodie on the Left Hook, and used and forwarded to enlighten our readers. 

From the site "The Left Hook" by Wajahat Ali. A pressing major problem facing many wealthy countries all over the world, more so here in the US. and generated with unchecked Capitalism, a new oligarchy of extremely rich people and their servient and very well paid politicians.   

As always, my profound many thanks to all.    

THE WAR FOR NY CITY'S SOUL.

 

"The Field Model": An Existential Threat

November 5, 2025 / Israel Hayom - Nissim Katz

There is a real existential danger from the election of Zahran Mamdani as mayor of New York and his political rise. This danger lies not only in his personal hostility to Israel, but also in the elaborate political model he has formulated, and the precise and disturbing program of action that can be copied in any Western capital, ((which aims to neutralize and dismantle Jewish community power from within)).
The “Madani model” operates on a simple yet insidious principle: it identifies, empowers, and legitimizes the most extreme and anti-Zionist Jewish voices, using them as human shields against accusations of antisemitism. This tactic paralyzes mainstream discourse, fractures societal consensus, and ultimately paves the way for extremist anti-Israel agendas to infiltrate the very heart of power. This is not just a New York problem; it is a strategic warning for Jewish communities worldwide, revealing a new form of political warfare.
The first stage in this model is the construction of a “Jewish bulwark.” Mamdani systematically surrounds himself with the support of groups like Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), not merely receiving their backing but actively promoting them, giving them a platform, and legitimizing their campaign. Any criticism of his positions is thus immediately transformed into an attack on “other Jews,” not on him personally. The implicit and terrifyingly effective campaign is: “How can you accuse me of antisemitism when there are Jews who agree with me word for word?” In an era of identity politics, where the personal experience of minorities carries significant weight, every anti-Zionist Jewish voice can gain more weight than the majority voice, effectively silencing any factual criticism. The immediate result is the near-paralysis of mainstream Jewish organizations. Community leaders, who should be the first line of defense, find themselves trapped in a rhetorical snare. It's a constant state of "walking on eggshells": if they attack Mamdani too harshly, they're immediately accused of trying to silence pluralism, of whitewashing dissenting voices, or of paternalistic control over Jewish identity; if they remain silent, they allow extremist rhetoric to become the consensus. It's a kind of political tug-of-war, where Mamdani uses the power and values of his liberal opponents to undermine them, and this hesitation creates a dangerous vacuum in which extremist voices are absorbed and become the dominant voice in the media. But the model isn't limited to defensive use; its advanced stage is the "cultivation of an active alternative to Zionist Jewish identity."
Mamdani understands perfectly the struggle of many young Jews torn between their progressive values and their traditional support for Israel. He offers them a simple, appealing, and easy solution: a “rectified Judaism” that disavows Israel, viewing it as a shameful colonial project. He offers them a way to remain Jewish while simultaneously fully embracing the progressive camp without having to confront the complexities of Israel. He makes opposition to Israel not only a legitimate option but portrays it as the highest moral and Jewish act. Herein lies the global danger: Mamdani’s success in New York will transform his model into a manual for radical politicians in London, Paris, or Toronto. They will learn that the most effective way to neutralize the “Jewish lobby” is not through direct confrontation, but through internal division.
His victory will not only be a local political victory, but will also be evidence of a destructive potential, namely that the foundation upon which global Jewish solidarity, linked to Israel, rests, is susceptible to dismantling.
The fight is not against just one person, but against an entire strategy that threatens to turn our societies into an internal battleground, thereby weakening the entire Jewish people in the face of tomorrow's challenges.

The war against Mamdani the NY mayoral candidate, keeps enraging in different forms, originally it started by labeling him a Muslem, thus an enemy of Western values and automatically anti semitic and anti Israel, then he was a jihadi, another automatic form of enemy of the civilized world and of course Israel, then he turned to be a socialist, and later upgraded by our President into communist, consequently and enemy of America and the free world and of course Israel, anything and everything to demonize the man for daring to bid for the position, at the end he made it and he's officially the mayor of NY, let's judge him by his acts and the future of NY city and its people, and not his loyalty to Israel or its actual governing regime.

It is important to note that Mamdani successfully appealed to a significant portion of the Jewish community, not despite his views on Palestine/Israel but because of these views. While rejecting anti-Jewish bigotry, he refused to distance himself from his anti-Zionist positions. Perhaps we are witnessing a true paradigm shift, where the assumed power of the pro-Israeli lobby is not only challenged successfully but where support for Israel and its policies are viewed as a burden to politicians, many of whom are no longer dependent on AIPAC or slavishly following its dictates. Some politicians now even see AIPAC funding as a negative to their campaign and are publicly distancing themselves from AIPAC, its money and its narrow ideologies and tactics.

As always, my many thanks to all.  

NEGOTIATION, THE ART OF COMPROMISE.....

 
We all negotiate every day, often without even realizing it. Whether convincing a child to go to bed or discussing a deadline with a colleague, we are practicing one of humanity's oldest arts. From prehistoric exchanges to modern ceasefire talks, negotiation remains the invisible thread that connects coexistence to survival.

This week, negotiations have been at the forefront of the news. For nearly two years, war has raged in Gaza. In October 2025, Israel and Hamas approved a ceasefire agreement and the release of the hostages—a breakthrough brokered in Egypt with the support of the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. This agreement marks the first step in the 20-point peace plan for Gaza, proposed by US President Donald Trump.

In a world shaken by conflict, the art of negotiation is returning to the forefront. Behind every treaty, agreement, or compromise lies a centuries-old practice. "Negotiation"—a word that has taught human societies how to coexist.

When trading becomes dialogue

The noun "negotiation" appeared in French in the 14th century. It is borrowed from the Latin negotiatio, which means "trade, commerce," itself derived from negotium, "occupation, work, business." Originally, it applied mainly to commercial affairs.

From the 16th century onwards, the word came to designate the action of debating the terms of an agreement, the clauses of a contract, whether in a commercial matter, in a conflict of private interests or in the political and social sphere.

Used in the singular, it designates the art of negotiation or the peaceful resolution of conflicts.



From survival to strategy

Negotiation is as old as humanity itself. Long before diplomats gathered around tables or mediators occupied conference rooms, prehistoric humans were already practicing forms of exchange and compromise that were vital to their survival. In primitive communities, negotiation helped manage scarce resources, resolve conflicts, and ensure social cohesion within tribes.

According to anthropologists, our very evolution owes much to this ability. As human societies became more dense and complex, the need to manage tensions without resorting to violence became more urgent. Brain development, some researchers argue, was driven in part by the need to "read" others—in the sense of detecting deception, assessing trust, and anticipating outcomes. Negotiation thus became a kind of mental strategy that ensured a balance between self-interest and cooperation.

From wolves to diplomats

Negotiation didn't begin with Homo sapiens. Ethologists have long noted primitive forms of bargaining among animals. Wolves are readjusting the concept of hierarchy without mortal combat, chimpanzees are exchanging food for grooming. Even a dog's growl can be interpreted as an ultimatum: "this far and no further."

What distinguishes humans, however, is not the act of negotiation itself, but the consciousness that accompanies it. We can reason, anticipate, and frame conflicts in moral or strategic terms. We have built institutions—courts, parliaments, international organizations—to manage disagreements. Paradoxically, we remain reluctant to negotiate.

Why do humans resist negotiation?

Despite its obvious necessity, many people dread this process. Negotiation is often perceived as a sign of weakness, compromise, or manipulation. This emotional resistance, historians argue, is deeply rooted in human psychology. It reflects a tension between the instinct for cooperation and the fear of losing advantages.

And yet, history shows: from tribal councils to recent ceasefire talks in the Middle East, negotiation remains humanity's most enduring survival tool. It prevents conflicts from descending into chaos and transforms confrontation into the possibility of peace.

The ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is now more than 3 weeks old, but it appears increasingly fragile. The similar ceasefire with Lebanon is even more shaken by daily Israeli raids and threatening of further escalations of war like situation. Even in the West Bank, the military backed settlers are on daily missions of killing, burning, destroying properties and livelihoods, plus an official system of apartheid and mass arrests, all in total daily escalation. And now the US president is threatening Venezuela and Nigeria. Is it all under some powerful game of persuasion or compromise??    

As we're living an era of wars in different shapes and forms, from brutal barbaric wars to commercial wars and cultural dominance, the art of negotiation is becoming the corner stone of international stability and peace, thus this good analysis explaining the origins and modalities of it all. 

As always , my profound many thanks to all.

UNDERSTANDING, COHABITING AND COEXISTING WITH AGING ....

 

Turning 75 or 80 doesn't have to mean surrendering to decline. It can be a rich, conscious, free, and joyful stage of life.

This short study covers multiple areas: physical health, psychological aspects, social relationships, how to deal with time, self-acceptance, and the balance between what a person can do and what they should perhaps give up, among others.

Some basic facts and ideas:
• Redefining Expectations: What does it mean to “live well” through the seventies and after age 80? It doesn’t have to mean staying as active as you were before, but rather finding something that gives your life new meaning.
• Accepting change: Accepting physical limitations, losses (friends, energy, memories), and focusing on what is still possible. Learn to appreciate and value solitude, it's a rich time with the self, and not a moment of boredom, spending some hours alone reduces stress and boosts well being. 

Alone but not lonely, allows for deep self-reflection, fosters creativity, and promotes mental and emotional restoration. 

• Developing social ties: staying in touch with relatives and close friends, and participating in the lives of others; isolation increases difficulties, even psychological ones. 

Sexual desire is an essential part of life. It is the driving force behind all human behavior. It shouldn't be suppressed with old age, think and act positively with your sensual desires and keep living the timelessness of human desire. 

• Maintain curiosity and joy: Even at an advanced age, it is important to continue to learn, observe, love, and laugh — these are very valuable mental resources.
• Dignity in vulnerability: not rejecting vulnerability, but recognizing it as a part of life—being open, asking for help when needed, and accepting what cannot be changed.

⸻

Conclusion

This blog page wants to encourage readers to break down the invisible “wall” imposed by age in your seventies and after eighty—a wall of fears, prejudices, and early compromises.
The point is that even after this age, there is still so much to live, feel, and give.
This short essay is a moral, psychological, and even philosophical guide—it calls for a rethinking of the meaning of aging, not as a burden or an end, but as a stage worthy of appreciation and celebration.

Aging is a natural and universal process that involves the gradual decline of physical, mental, and social functions over time. It is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that affects all living organism, including humans. 

As always, my profound many thanks to all, young, not too young and older. 

A DESPERATE HUMANITARIAN MESSAGE.......

I finally visited Palestine. This is my experience in the Israeli prison after my arrest and the arrest of my colleagues in the “Resilience Flotilla”...

Written by Dr. Lina Al-Tabbal, Lebanese academic and researcher/France

... Yes, I finally visited Palestine, a painful and beautiful visit, a crossing between two wounds..

I saw the Negev desert stretching out before me in endless stillness. I watched it for two hours from a narrow opening in a closed metal truck, not even suitable for transporting damaged goods. However, the occupation decided to test our ability to remain silent under pressure, the intense heat, the cold and noise of their air conditioners… But seeing the land of Palestine made time stop and there was no more of the occupation’s favorite torture rituals… And when the truck stopped in front of the airport to deport us, they threatened to re-arrest us if we raised the victory sign…

A heavily armed army, the fourth largest in the world, and a nuclear state afraid of raised fingers! What kind of power is this that would be terrified by a symbol??

We left quietly, our heads held high, singing a quiet song about Palestine, and chanting slogans and victory signs.

Then I saw the mountains ahead of me... the Ramon Mountains stretching to the horizon. That moment was one of stillness, calm, and a spiritual feeling like nothing I'd ever experienced before...

And I assure you, yes, seeing Palestine...is worth everything.

Search for Mount Ramon on Google, then close your eyes... and imagine them in front of you.

We are a group that wanted to set sail and break the siege of Gaza on a non-violent humanitarian mission. We carried flour, medicine, and what remained of our conscience and humanity. You know the rest of the story: We were kidnapped in international waters, under the sun and at sea, but we approached Gaza. We saw Gaza at dawn: yes, we saw it while we were kidnapped, and above us was the sky of Palestine.

The interception operation was “professional,” as the Israeli military likes to describe its crimes, meaning illegal, inhumane, but justified, as usual.

They took us to the port of Ashdod, and there the usual Israeli show began: insults, threats... the same hatred that hadn't changed for decades, the same language, the same arrogance, and the same racist depravity.

They threw us into trucks… those that were not fit to transport anything, not people, not even damaged goods. A policewoman pushed me into a metal cell no more than a meter and a half, barely large enough for four human breaths. I banged my head against the metal wall of the truck, and for a moment I thought she'd shot me… Sitting next to me was Rima Hassan, the European Parliament member. She turned to me and said, “They beat me too. They'll probably put us in solitary confinement, but at least we're together.” We laughed, because fear, when it tires, turns into cold sarcasm.

A short while later, the policewoman threw a seventy-year-old Algerian woman named “Zubaida,” a former parliamentarian, into the cell, along with “Sirine,” a young activist.

Four women from three continents in one cage, barely large enough to hold their breath. The atmosphere was stifling, and the air the truck exhaled was a mixture of violence and threats. Our bodies were drenched with sweat, and when the heat burned them completely, they decided to turn on the air conditioning, not out of mercy, but as part of a precise engineering of torture. The occupation is an expert in torture: they alternate the temperatures from cold… then hot… then cold.

They took us to the detention center, to our rooms in sections 5 and 6… The women were divided into 14 cells. As for me, I was placed in cell number seven. A nice number, but it brought me bad luck on the first night, specifically at four in the morning, “Itamar Ben Gvir,” the Minister of Evil Spells, entered. He said, with all his stupidity, “I am the Minister of National Security.” He came with his army and police dogs to the middle of the cell to threaten sleeping women. He asked me about my nationality, I remained silent. What if I said Lebanese? No… I would rather sleep now than start a fight.

Didn't I tell you, Ben-Gvir, before you move or speak, consult artificial intelligence? It at least has "intelligence."

If your stupidity were renewable energy, it would illuminate the entire Negev desert, and perhaps the darkness of your mind as well.

In the morning they woke us up for a repeated count: 14 women, yes every morning and evening and every time they counted the number did not change... They came again but the number did not change, they insisted on counting a lot, especially at night... We would laugh at every count and go back to sleep.

Food is almost non-existent, water is non-existent, and the threat of death and gas are ever-present. We have no rights, no lawyer, no doctor, no medicine. Not even paracetamol is available.

Every day, we were taken to the cage, which resembled the cages in Guantanamo. It was 15 square meters, and around 60 women were crammed into it under the Negev sun for five or seven hours, under the pretext of going to see a judge who sometimes never showed up. Once, a policeman pointed his gun at my head because I wouldn't put my hands behind my back. "I'll kill you," he said with pitiful seriousness. I smiled at him.

Our favorite game was to challenge them as one: “Come on, kill me!”… “Kill us”… Words with which we extinguished fear as one would blow out a candle and then relight it. The Israeli police didn’t understand which planet we came from??? We tired them out. We sang and chanted “Long live Palestine”, and stared straight into their eyes with a steely gaze and a smile that perhaps made them ashamed of themselves… One of the policemen told me, “What you are doing is good.”

I don't deny my fear: I was scared, nervous, and tired throughout my detention, and the possibility of the worst-case scenario was ever-present. But he who has the right is not afraid to demand it again and again, right, my friend?

We kept screaming and chanting, then they would come with weapons, tear gas and dogs, and as soon as they left we would start again.

The most beautiful thing I've ever read was written on the walls of this prison's cells... names engraved with fingernails and a bullet from a pen that we found behind the window... Abu Iyad, Abu Mamoun, Abu Omar, Abu Muhammad from Beit Lahia, Jabalia, Hayy al-Amal, Shuja'iyya, and northern Gaza. They wrote the dates of their arrests on the walls, the last of which was September 28th. They said they deported us from here today... perhaps they emptied and prepared the cells for us.

In cell number 7 was Judit, the youngest of us, a young German woman no more than eighteen years old; alongside Lucia, the Spanish parliamentarian; Marita, the Swedish activist; Jona, the American politician and singer; Zoubida, the Algerian parliamentarian; Hayat, the Al Jazeera correspondent; Patty, the Greek parliamentarian; Dara, the Greek filmmaker, and others. All of us, from different cultures, became one voice behind bars: “Long live Palestine!”

I decided to deal with the jailers as a human rights lawyer deals with facts: first by documenting, then by classifying. There is the “good one,” the one who smuggles news to me as if it were secret messages—the date of release, the consuls’ visit. Then there is the “evil one,” the one who fires fire with his eyes every morning to remind us that hatred exists. And finally, the “indifferent one,” the one who neither hates nor loves, who simply carries out… He is a kind of administrative robot that revolves around without a conscience.

Then came the time for cultural entertainment: They forced us to watch a propaganda film about “October 7.” We simply refused and shouted, “Stop the genocide in Gaza.” They went crazy, and we refused again and shouted again. This was our last little battle, and we won it too.

I forgot to tell you that we were in a detention center called the Negev. In Hebrew, they call it "Ketziot," and during the first intifada, it was called "Ansar 2 Detention Center." My cell window overlooked a playground, and there was a giant billboard of destroyed Gaza. Under it, they wrote "New Gaza." On the wall was a huge, arrogant Israeli flag.

This was my visit to Palestine: a party of torture, threats, and temporary imprisonment in an occupied territory. But I saw the mountains, I saw Gaza from afar, and I saw Israeli fear up close.

Yes, finally... I visited Palestine,

There's more to the story... Wait for us in December, the ships stop for a while but keep sailing.

All reactions:

The brilliantly told story of Dr. Al-Tabbal, a Lebanese/French researcher who bravely joined the Sumud flotilla with humanitarian aid to Gaza, the rest is self explanatory, plus the news, media and social media coverage. A humanitarian message focused on reducing suffering, protecting human dignity, and promoting action in times of crisis. The message emphasizes the courage of aid volunteers and workers and calls for greater protection for them, respect for international law, and an end to impunity for those who harm them.

As always, my many thanks to all.