AMSTERDAM/ISTANBUL
The Israeli government’s treatment of activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla is another display of its impunity, said American journalist Abby Martin, host of the web documentary series The Empire Files.
Condemning what she described as degrading treatment of the aid flotilla passengers, which Israel unlawfully attacked, Martin told Anadolu that this reflects the country’s habitual impunity for the crimes it commits.
Describing the ongoing genocide in Gaza as "barbarism and savagery," she added: "Over the last two years of witnessing the most horrific thing that I've ever seen or read about in history books, frankly, everything that I've ever learned about pales in comparison to what I have witnessed in 4K on my phone for two years straight."
Expressing her dismay at the lack of action by governments, Martin stated: "It's not only revealed the lack of humanity and just the criminality of not only governments, but these global institutions that were created under the auspices to prevent tragedies like this, prevent state actors from committing genocide."
Explaining how advances in weapons technology have contributed to the atrocities in Gaza, the American journalist said: "I continue to be shocked and horrified every day that this is continuing, that babies are starving to death and the world looks away.
"And the only thing I can think of is that anti-Muslim bigotry is so extreme and normalized that this is what the world has accepted; bombing and starving children in a cage for two years. That's acceptable because of how Islamophobic the planet is."
'My colleagues are complicit and lack empathy'
Reflecting on her own disillusionment, Martin said the crisis in Gaza and the muted reactions to it have shaken her faith in humanity. "For my entire life's career, I've always thought that if people just knew the situation in Palestine or if they knew what their government was doing around the world, they would care,” she said adding: "And I have to face the really harsh truth that there's a small contingent of people who don't care at all and who actually cheer on human suffering and misery."
She also criticized fellow journalists. “My colleagues are complicit and lack empathy," she underscored, adding: "They lack empathy and solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are being brutalized and murdered."
'The New York Times editorial board should be tried at the Hague'
Martin highlighted what she called media complicity in enabling the war on Gaza, noting that over 200 journalists and media workers — often along with their families — have been “systematically” murdered.
"The New York Times editorial board should be tried at the Hague next to Netanyahu and the Trump administration and the Biden administration for their complicity in manufacturing consent for this genocide," she said.
Emphasizing that the US corporate media is funded by companies that profit from war, Martin said banks, oil companies, and defense firms “sit on interlocking boards of directorates with each other."
Martin shared that journalists who do not advocate for Zionism or conceal their views on Palestine have lost their jobs.
Hundreds of BBC employees anonymously signed letters criticizing the censorship of the events in Gaza and the institution's editorial policy, but they do not have the courage to attach their names to it, she highlighted.
Expressing her dismay at the silence of media outlets and the lack of solidarity towards murdered colleagues, Martin added: "If they think that's going to start and stop in Gaza, they are sorely mistaken. This is obviously a testing ground and a warning shot to the rest of the world to fall in line."
'People are making bank'
Stating that US President Donald Trump is under the influence of Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and billionaire Zionist donors, Martin said what we are seeing "has nothing to do with freedom and democracy or human rights."
Emphasizing that billionaires and imperialism only care about power and money, she stated: "The war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, these people are making bank and they're having a great time on their yachts.
"So as dystopian and perplexing as it is for the rest of us, watching this horror show continue, for them, they couldn't care less because they're so horrifically chauvinistic and disgusting and racist that they don't even consider these people human."
Regarding the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out to break Israel’s blockade and deliver aid to Gaza, Martin praised the participants for putting their lives on the line to do what governments have failed to do.
"That brings me hope, that brings me love, and that brings me strength," she stressed.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, en route to break the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, approached Gaza waters on the evening of Oct 1.
The Israeli army attacked the flotilla, illegally seizing dozens of boats and ships and detaining hundreds of their passengers.
It is the largest flotilla to ever set out collectively to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Example of Apartheid in South Africa
Martin called on the international community to act, referencing the sanctions once imposed on South Africa during the apartheid era.
Trade an arms embargoes, boycotts and sanctions as well as bans on participating in cultural and sport events are "paramount for governments," she underlined.
Referring to initiatives such as the Hague Group, Martin said only a few states could sign on to even the most basic measures, such as arresting war criminal Netanyahu when he arrives in their jurisdiction and halting arms shipments to a genocidal rogue state.
"States are completely, fully complicit," she added.
Since October 2023, the Israeli military has killed over 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza — most of them women and children.
The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and has led to mass displacement, starvation and the proliferation of disease.
