A Very Good Interview with Huwaida Arraf
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 3, 2010
"....Huwaida Arraf was one of those kidnapped activists, on board a US-flagged vessel called Challenger 1. In the following interview on Wednesday, Arraf recounted her experience during the commando attack, in Israeli detention, and her brutal release:
Dennis Bernstein: First of all, how are you doing? How are you feeling?
Huwaida Arraf: A little bruised, but no complaints. I'm okay, I'm just worried about the rest of my colleagues, especially those that are in hospitals who we don't have complete information about. I'm definitely devastated about the loss of lives that was completely unnecessary.
DB: Do you have any information now about who died … and how many are wounded?
HA: Unfortunately not yet, and I just spoke to the lawyer that we have coordinating visitations to everybody that is still held, whether in a hospital or in jail here, and he said that they're desperately trying to ascertain this information from the Israelis, and the Israelis are not being forthcoming — denying information when actually the lawyers go to the hospitals to try to check up on people to find out where they are, who they are, how they are doing. They [the lawyers] are not being allowed access....
DB: Do you feel in any way intimidated? I understand that in this context, one of the boats that’s getting ready to head for Gaza has been named after another victim of the Israelis, Rachel Corrie. Does this movement continue or do you think of other directions to go?
HA: We will definitely continue in our efforts to break this illegal blockade and to continue campaigning until the occupation as a whole has ended, and then there is a system here in the Middle East, in what’s known as Israel/Palestine that treats people equally and does not discriminate against people based on race, religion or ethnicity. That’s the kind of future that we’re campaigning and fighting for, and we won’t rest until we realize that...."
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