Freedom Flotilla crew from Newfoundland return home after illegal abduction by Israeli Navy
Palestine Action YYT is celebrating the return of the three women from Newfoundland and Labrador who served aboard the Conscience as part of the Freedom Flotilla attempting to break the siege of Gaza. After being illegally abducted by Israel in international waters and held for several days in the notorious Ketziot prison, Sadie Mees, Nikita Stapleton, and Devony Ellis return home today via St. John’s Airport at 12:40 p.m.
Although the Flotilla’s aid was seized and the mission interrupted, the women note that the international response to their detention has increased global pressure on Israel – pressure that must now be maintained and expanded.
“A ceasefire is not an endpoint but a bare, and likely temporary, minimum,” said Nikita Stapleton. “Israeli ministers have said clearly they have no intention of recognizing a Palestinian state or offering a real future for Palestinians. Canada must join the growing international movement enacting diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel, including a two-way arms embargo; prosecution of war criminals; and support a peace and reconstruction process guided by the vision and institutions of the
Palestinian people, not the U.S., Israel and its supporters.”
These demands align with Canada’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions, UN Charter, and international humanitarian law. Since 1948, Palestinians have lost over 85 per cent of their historic homeland through illegal settlement expansion, military occupation, and forced displacement – a process of ethnic cleansing that continues today.
“That Ketziot prison is not a pleasant place is an understatement,” said Devony Ellis. “But the treatment we received from the Israeli regime is nothing compared to what Palestinians face daily. While Western media highlight the Israeli hostages once held in Gaza, they ignore the thousands of Palestinians held by Israel without charge – hostages of a system of apartheid and mass incarceration.”
NTV’s Marykate O’Neill is covering the story and will have a full report this evening.