Moate woman ‘tortured’ by Israeli forces

A Moate woman who was among the Gaza flotilla activists intercepted by Israeli military forces in international waters has outlined the horrific ordeal she endured while detained last week.

Louise McCormack said she and other activists from the Global Samud flotilla were "very much tortured" following their interception by the Israeli forces on Monday of last week, May 18.

She also said she was choked and thrown to the ground by Israeli soldiers after being brought onto one of their war ships, and was knocked unconscious as a result.

"They picked me up, grabbed me by the neck," said Louise. "Margaret Connolly, who I was on a boat with for all the weeks beforehand, saw my face and she said I looked like I was already unconscious as I was being thrown to the floor, but I remember being thrown to the floor.

"I remember the velocity of my body. I remember not being able to put my hands out, or my feet, and just landing my full body weight, plus the strength of the throw, on my head."

Louise and ten other Irish detainees, including Margaret Connolly who is the sister of President Catherine Connolly, arrived back in Dublin airport on Saturday after they had been deported from Israel to Turkey on Thursday.

The first person to greet her on her arrival was her mother, also Louise (née Slammon), a resident of St Patrick's Crescent in Moate.

"There was such a commotion when they arrived at the airport. I was the first person to reach any of them - I just literally ran. I was so happy to see her," said her mother.

After setting off from Italy on an eight-person boat as part of the flotilla in late April, Louise escaped a previous interception by the Israeli forces before being detained at the beginning of last week.

Speaking to Midlands 103, she said she made and maintained direct eye contact with the Israeli soliders and she believes she was singled out as a 'trouble-maker' and given particularly harsh treatment as a result.

Upon being trasferred to an Israeli war ship, she said she was choked and thrown to the ground, resulting in her concussion.

"They took me to a shipping container. There were soldiers in there and they just beat you as you went into this open air prison, on top of a war ship," Louise said. "They hit my face, my side. I've got bruises all over my legs.

"There were 180 (captured flotilla activists) on board, and by all accounts the ship I was on was the worst one.

"There were enough toilets (on board) for people, more or less, but they had zip-tied them all shut, aside from two portaloos. So we had two portaloos. They had other ones, they just wanted us to be suffering.

"The conditions, with 180 people using two toilets with no toilet paper, no hand sanitiser, it was inhumane... It's unbelievable how sadistic they are."

She said the detainees on the war ship were left to sleep on the ground in the open air, "on metal sheets, which were freezing, or on wood, which had splinters," and that there had been multiple reports of broken bones, sexual assaults, and medically vulnerable people being denied medication.

The treatment of the detainees was criticised by senior Government figures, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, but Louise said the fact that there had been no direct intervention by Europe was an eye-opener.

She said her experience last week would deter her from joining a flotilla again, but that she was more determined than ever to lobby for politcal sanctions against the Israeli Government.

"I don't think I'm going to be sailing into the arms of those psychopaths ever again," she said. "It is extremely dangerous. They treated this flotilla in a way that they never want anyone to sail there again.

"I wouldn't sail somewhere knowing that I could be tortured on the Mediterranean for two days and no Government would do anything.

"International law is gone. (For Israel) to come up into European waters and take European citizens, and for Europe to do nothing and for us to just keep trading with Israel...

"That's extremely unexpected, and that would put me off sailing. But in terms of trying to get our Governments to sanction Israel, I feel more motivated than ever to do that."

She also critcised the Government TDs in the Longford Westmeath constituency for failing to back a People Before Profit bill calling for sanctions against Israel, which was defeated in a Dáil vote last Wednesday.

Robert Troy, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran and Micheál Carrigy voted against the bill, while no vote was recorded on behalf of Peter Burke.

Sinn Féin's Sorca Clarke voted in favour of the bill, which was defeated with 62 votes in favour and 77 against.