Enduring the indignity of Israeli capture

In this - the second and last instalment of South African author Zukiswa Wanner’s account of their abducation by Israeli authorities, she tells the story of how she and other members of the Flotilla to Gaza cheekily cocked the snook at their captors, instead of suffering peacefully, as was expected of them by Netanyahu’s forces

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and Cell 5, refuse to go back in our cell until a doctor comes for Cell 5.

If only one of us had done this, we would probably have been beaten and thrown into solitary confinement or something. But because we have numbers, no threats can make us stand up and we only do so and get back in our cell when a medic comes. Back in the cell, we soon start calling out the guards again.

We read that prisoners are supposed to have an hour outside and the smokers are supposed to get cigarettes yet the smokers have not been given cigarettes and we only got 20 minutes outside. Let us out.

The guards cannot believe our chutzpah. One of them answers, “you are not prisoners. You are activists.”

Oh?

Later that afternoon, Carrie, Zaheera, Fatima and I are called. Four days after interception, and three days since arriving at K’tziot Prison, we are finally going to see our consulate officials.

When we get to the cage where we are meeting them, they introduce themselves and suggest that we wait for Mandla and Reaaz. As we wait, the consul officials inform us that they left Jerusalem at 8 in the morning, have been at Ktzi’ot since 11. It is now 3 in the afternoon.

When the guys finally join us, it’s like a family reunion. Just as we are presenting our case to the officials, one of the Israelis tells us its time up. Two minutes is what we have had. It is bizarre. The officials seem ready to acquiesce but we collectively make noise and ask for 10 minutes.