Aussie activists head home after Gaza flotilla ordeal
Australians detained by Israel after trying to deliver a symbolic aid shipment to Gaza are preparing to return home and tell their stories.
Juliet Lamont, Hamish Paterson and Abubakir Rafiq will touch down in Sydney on Friday, while Bianca Webb-Pullman will land in Melbourne after more than a month at sea with the Global Sumud Fleet.
Their ship was stopped off the coast of Gaza and the group was detained in Israel, where some claimed they were attacked and threatened, then deported to Jordan.
Julie Webb-Pullman promised to give her daughter Bianca a big hug, making limited contact after the activist threw her phone overboard before Israeli naval forces boarded the ship.
“On the one hand he’s happy to be free, but on the other hand it’s a very limited happiness,” Ms Webb-Pullman told AAP.
“He still has the same concerns when he leaves.
“Palestine will definitely continue to fight until it is liberated.”
After her daughter’s experience, Ms Webb-Pullman is calling on the Australian government to impose sanctions and cut ties with Israel until it comes into compliance with international law.
“It’s an absolute shame that these civilians had to do what our government should have done,” he said.
The Australian Maritime Union, of which fleet participant Mr Paterson is a member, echoed those calls as it welcomed his return.
“Our attention must be refocused on the ongoing atrocities in Gaza and lasting peace and justice for the Palestinian people,” said Warren Smith, the union’s deputy national secretary.
The historically progressive union has faced pressure from some of its members to follow their Italian counterparts in staging strikes at ports across the country to stop shipments of arms and supplies to Israel.
The federal government insists Australia has not exported weapons or military parts to Israel since October 2023, despite being part of the global supply chain for F-35 fighter jets that Israel has access to.
Mr Smith called on the government to end all arms trade to Israel.
“If the piers had known they were carrying weapons destined for Israel…they wouldn’t have touched them,” he said.
Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire and hostage agreement as part of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end violence in Gaza.
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