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[00:00:04] Hello. Hello everyone. So, I'm having a [00:00:06] little bit of a technical difficulty, so [00:00:07] I'm going to leave you down here and [00:00:09] look up here. But welcome everyone to [00:00:12] our live stream. Um, I am Manar Adi. I'm [00:00:16] the founder and director of Mint Press [00:00:18] News. And today we're doing a super [00:00:20] impromptu uh live stream with Greg [00:00:24] Stoker. He's back. He's safe. He is a [00:00:27] veteran. He is a podcaster. He's a [00:00:29] journalist for Mint Press News um and [00:00:34] just this courageous voice that has been [00:00:37] exposing Israeli propaganda and he just [00:00:39] recently was kidnapped, zip tied and [00:00:42] imprisoned by the Israeli apartheid [00:00:44] state. As many of you who follow him [00:00:47] already know, he was um aboard the [00:00:51] veteran flotillaa and he's back home [00:00:53] safe. And so we're just going to get [00:00:56] right to it. We're going to talk to [00:00:57] Greg. Greg, thank you for being here [00:00:58] today. [00:00:59] >> Thanks for having me on. It's good to be [00:01:01] back. [00:01:02] >> Yeah, we're really happy that you're [00:01:04] safe. Um, but before we get started, let [00:01:05] me just hit record over here. I forgot [00:01:07] to hit record on my other camera so that [00:01:08] we have some of this footage um to [00:01:11] create reels for social media. But Greg, [00:01:14] when you called me the other day and [00:01:16] said you're back, I was so elated, so [00:01:19] happy to hear your voice because I mean, [00:01:22] the whole world was watching. Everybody [00:01:24] around the world was watching. We we we [00:01:27] got a sense of it. Um we we absolutely [00:01:30] had no access to any media, but when the [00:01:33] uh when the consulates finally started [00:01:35] coming in about 72 hours, we're like, [00:01:37] "Hey, did this make international news?" [00:01:40] And the French consulate was like, "You [00:01:41] have no idea." So apparently it was a [00:01:43] big story. [00:01:45] >> It was a huge story. It was a massive [00:01:46] story. The whole world was literally [00:01:48] watching your live stream and the live [00:01:51] streams of other flotillaa members that [00:01:53] were broadcasting from those flotillas. [00:01:56] But I think it was really significant [00:01:58] that you were aboard this veteran [00:02:00] flatillaa. Many of the people on your [00:02:02] ship had served with the US military um [00:02:06] and now they've you know through their [00:02:08] conscious and just seeing what's [00:02:09] happening in Gaza have turned against uh [00:02:11] US foreign policy and the state of [00:02:13] Israel and have questioned that USIsrael [00:02:15] relationship. And so I think we should [00:02:18] just get right to the point and ask you [00:02:20] like what happened. Tell us, you know, [00:02:22] let's start from the very beginning. You [00:02:24] you joined this flotilla and just what [00:02:26] happened? [00:02:28] >> Uh I came in kind of late in the game, [00:02:30] last minute. I was approached um by [00:02:33] Josephine Gilbo who's a former uh U uh [00:02:36] US Army intelligence officer. Uh she was [00:02:40] originally going to put together a [00:02:42] flotilla. She had to back out. I mean [00:02:43] she has a bunch of kids. So, I stepped [00:02:45] in as the lead organizer and I thought [00:02:46] it was really important to have a [00:02:47] veterans boat. Um, just because, you [00:02:50] know, we wanted to use our social and [00:02:53] cultural capital as a way to, uh, you [00:02:55] know, because of how militarized our [00:02:57] society is, uh, we'd be able to add like [00:03:00] some exposure and some extra levels of [00:03:02] safety for the flotilla just by having [00:03:04] vets aboard. Also, I wanted to kind of [00:03:06] use this as a platform to explain to [00:03:08] people like, hey, as best we know, like [00:03:10] whatever violence we do overseas always [00:03:12] comes back home, you know, and I think [00:03:14] Palestine is is a great uh [00:03:19] demonstration of that, you know, cuz [00:03:21] like if we accept the premise that, you [00:03:23] know, fascism is here alive and well in [00:03:25] the United States, you know, we we can [00:03:27] look at Palestine and be like, you know, [00:03:28] the same technology and spyw wear and [00:03:32] policing techniques used to enforce [00:03:34] occupation and aparttheid [00:03:35] And Palestine is literally at a local [00:03:38] ICE office near you. And I think there [00:03:40] was kind of a lot of solidarity between [00:03:42] these two issues like Palestine and ICE. [00:03:45] Uh cuz we went through like it we went [00:03:47] through a black site immigration [00:03:51] uh detention experience when nobody knew [00:03:54] where we are. We were essentially [00:03:55] disappeared when we were taken into [00:03:57] port. So, uh, we, if you were watching [00:04:00] the stream, you know, you saw that we [00:04:03] made it like 42 miles from Gaza before [00:04:07] our boat specifically was taken. So, how [00:04:09] it basically worked is they took out the [00:04:11] command ship first, which was called, [00:04:13] um, man, I'm I'm mind blanking, the [00:04:15] Alma, uh, with a bunch of the steering [00:04:17] committee and a bunch of like the fancy [00:04:19] people. Uh, and [00:04:22] over the course of the night, they were [00:04:25] basically kept um boarding uh and [00:04:29] wrapping up all these ships. Sorry guys, [00:04:31] I'm not as articulate as I usually am. [00:04:32] I'm like exhausted. Um, [00:04:34] >> boat. Yeah. [00:04:35] >> Uh, so basically what they did was [00:04:38] they'd send up patrol boats and then [00:04:40] drop a fire team onto each uh each boat [00:04:43] and, you know, take control of the boat [00:04:46] at gunpoint. And so then they sailed us [00:04:49] into Ashdod where we were taken through [00:04:52] immigration processing after Ben Gavir [00:04:54] had his photo op with us. I was [00:04:56] literally like two two feet away from [00:04:58] Ben Gabir while he was like shouting at [00:04:59] us. Um yeah and then we just uh got [00:05:04] taken out to the Negv desert and it's uh [00:05:07] Kziot prison. It's, you know, it's a [00:05:11] maximum security wing or a ward, but [00:05:13] like we were in the lower levels of [00:05:16] security. Um, but we never saw an a [00:05:20] lawyer. We never had access to any sort [00:05:22] of legal support. Um, again, the State [00:05:24] Department didn't even know that we were [00:05:26] being held until like days afterwards. [00:05:29] We we were visited by the US consulate [00:05:31] after we'd already been there for 72 [00:05:33] hours. The US consulate was like one of [00:05:35] the last consulates to visit its [00:05:37] citizens. Not surprising. Um, [00:05:40] >> yeah. And and basically they're like, [00:05:42] you know what? We can't really help you. [00:05:43] We're just here to document any human [00:05:45] rights abuses. So I was like, okay, [00:05:47] well, how about you start with the fact [00:05:48] that they threw out everyone's [00:05:49] medication, including insulin. So we had [00:05:52] to go like on a prison strike, like a [00:05:53] hunger, water, and [00:05:56] shower strike until and basically make [00:05:59] the the entire ward completely [00:06:01] ungovernable governable until they gave [00:06:04] like a couple of the comrades insulin. [00:06:06] So yeah, it was it was basically a [00:06:08] ridiculous experience. I expected it to [00:06:09] be worse. Um then again, I'm not like [00:06:12] the wor uh the the the person to be [00:06:14] doing like media leads about prison [00:06:16] conditions cuz I don't know military [00:06:18] background. I thought it was going to be [00:06:19] way worse. Um so uh yeah, I don't know [00:06:24] where should we get started. [00:06:26] >> Yeah. Yeah. So let let's go from the [00:06:28] very beginning. Uh you you know [00:06:30] described a lot of things that happened [00:06:32] and summarized it very well. So, let's [00:06:34] go from the very beginning, the Alma [00:06:36] boat was taken over and then when your [00:06:40] boat was taken over, what happened in [00:06:42] those moments? Like, you know, how did [00:06:43] you guys know that the boat was being [00:06:45] taken over? Who approached you? Um, what [00:06:48] happened to the aid and how were you [00:06:50] taken from your boat? Those kinds of [00:06:52] things. [00:06:53] >> Uh, no. Okay. So, again, a patrol boat [00:06:56] came. Um, [00:06:58] one second. Uh it came uh they dumped a [00:07:02] fire team basically running low light [00:07:04] conditions. Um then they dropped about [00:07:07] four people [00:07:09] uh with guns. Um I don't think it was [00:07:11] like their like Navy special operations [00:07:13] team. These guys seemed like pretty [00:07:15] unprepared for what was happening. Uh [00:07:18] they we were detained. They searched us [00:07:21] and then we were putting put below deck [00:07:24] uh under guard uh until we sailed into [00:07:26] Ashdport. [00:07:28] Uh, of course we dumped our electronics [00:07:30] first. Uh, they searched us. One of the [00:07:32] main things they were looking for was [00:07:34] phones. We didn't have any phones. Um, [00:07:38] and yeah, they didn't really seem like [00:07:40] they they seemed to know that we weren't [00:07:42] like a threat. Uh, they asked where the [00:07:44] aid was. Uh, we think they dumped it [00:07:48] overboard eventually um after we were [00:07:51] all uh taken to the immigration facility [00:07:53] in uh, Ashdod. Uh but they were like [00:07:57] hugely incompetent. Like they clearly [00:07:59] were not used to being like at uh at sea [00:08:02] on a sailboat. They actually started [00:08:04] going in the wrong direction for the [00:08:06] first hour. So um they put in the wrong [00:08:09] GPS coordinates and then the second hour [00:08:12] um they had the engine the boat's engine [00:08:15] in neutral and they were just revving it [00:08:17] and not going anywhere. So uh not [00:08:20] exactly like a crack force uh or skilled [00:08:23] seaman at all. Um, [00:08:25] >> and I'm assuming they were younger folks [00:08:27] too, right? Because the Israeli military [00:08:29] and their patrol, Navy patrol usually [00:08:31] are younger Israelis, correct? [00:08:34] >> Yeah, they're uh like mid20s. [00:08:36] >> Yeah, [00:08:38] >> they weren't like fresh recruits, but [00:08:39] yeah, they were in their mid20s for [00:08:41] sure. [00:08:41] >> Yeah. [00:08:43] >> Okay. Okay. I mean, considering the fact [00:08:44] that, you know, Israel is has been [00:08:46] engaged in a genocide for two years and [00:08:51] people in Gaza have reached level like [00:08:53] catastrophic levels of famine and they [00:08:55] just took the aid off the boats and just [00:08:57] threw it overboard. Really just [00:09:00] >> Yeah, that's the assumption. That's what [00:09:02] we think has happened. It just goes to [00:09:05] show just how [00:09:08] inhumane these people are. [00:09:11] >> Yeah. [00:09:12] And you and how far away were you guys [00:09:14] from from Gaza? I mean, you got [00:09:18] >> We got 42 miles before we were taken. [00:09:21] One boat that they completely lost track [00:09:23] of. I think it was the Adara. They got [00:09:25] 28 miles out because the Israeli [00:09:27] military just lost track of them. They [00:09:29] had a month to plan for this operation [00:09:30] and it was a complete mess. [00:09:32] >> Well, you know what I mean? It goes to [00:09:34] show one of course how incompetent the [00:09:36] Israeli military uh is but also just the [00:09:39] fact that what was it over 50 boats. [00:09:42] What happens when we organize truly and [00:09:46] mass mobilize? We can confuse the enemy [00:09:49] a little bit and overwhelm them and uh [00:09:52] >> they were absolutely at they were at [00:09:54] capacity with with just the 45 boats [00:09:57] >> and what you guys have done and what [00:09:59] these boats have done you know. Yes. the [00:10:02] the the aid never made it to Gaz. But [00:10:05] the fact is is that this so-called peace [00:10:07] plan and ceasefire has been announced [00:10:09] right after all of these flotillaa [00:10:11] members have been released. I do believe [00:10:13] the fact that more of this kind of [00:10:17] mobilization and organizing by regular [00:10:20] folks has put pressure on the United [00:10:22] States and Israel to end this genocide. [00:10:25] Do you agree with that, Greg? What do [00:10:26] you what do you think? So, you know, it [00:10:28] was interesting uh you know, from [00:10:30] Western media perspective, they didn't [00:10:32] really cover it until they had to at the [00:10:33] very end. But, you know, from an [00:10:35] epistemological [00:10:37] uh [00:10:39] perspective, like they don't they don't [00:10:41] believe that activist movements can move [00:10:43] geopolitics, [00:10:44] >> but like we clearly did. Spain had to [00:10:46] get involved. Italy had to get involved. [00:10:48] You know, of course, you know, Italy [00:10:50] didn't want like another day of general [00:10:52] strikes, but we put two NATO countries [00:10:56] in confrontation with Israel. It wasn't [00:10:58] like bad, but like that hasn't happened [00:11:00] before, you know. And uh I think we kind [00:11:02] of showed that this free association [00:11:04] grass move roots activism actually [00:11:07] became a geopolitical player uh at least [00:11:10] while the flotilla was going on. And I [00:11:13] think that was set a precedent going [00:11:15] forward that like we can do this. We can [00:11:18] move geopolitics through activism work [00:11:20] and reporting. So, uh I I think it's [00:11:24] kind of unprecedented and I'm excited to [00:11:27] have set the precedent along with [00:11:28] everyone else who was part of the [00:11:30] flotilla and kind of look forward to [00:11:32] what that can look like going forward. [00:11:35] >> Yeah. Yeah. And I want to talk a little [00:11:36] bit more about France or not France, I'm [00:11:38] sorry, Spain and Italy's involvement in [00:11:40] this because you know Italy has faced [00:11:42] these, you know, historic mass strikes [00:11:45] inside their country which really [00:11:46] disrupted the economy there. [00:11:48] >> They disrupted work and if you saw some [00:11:51] of those videos, people that were, you [00:11:53] know, stuck in traffic were being [00:11:54] interviewed like, "How do you feel about [00:11:55] this?" They were actually saying, "We [00:11:57] support this. It's about damn time. It's [00:11:59] about time that uh people stood up to uh [00:12:02] the Gaza genocide and stood up to our [00:12:04] government. And so with these flotillas, [00:12:07] because they were so massive and just [00:12:09] impossible to ignore, we did have the [00:12:13] Spanish Navy and the Italian Navy get [00:12:15] involved and almost get into a [00:12:16] confrontation with Israel. Of course, [00:12:17] they backed out at the very last moment, [00:12:19] but it really truly goes to show just [00:12:21] the power of the people. But what can [00:12:23] you tell us about Spain and Italy's [00:12:25] involvement? [00:12:27] >> Uh, well, again, they it was completely [00:12:30] performative. I think that the Spanish [00:12:32] government is definitely more [00:12:33] sympathetic towards the cause than the [00:12:35] Italian one. Uh obviously um we thought [00:12:38] that the Italian ship's involvement, [00:12:40] they were basically what we thought they [00:12:43] were going to be is like once all the [00:12:44] Israeli Navy wrapped up all the Italian [00:12:46] citizens, they were just going to do a [00:12:48] handoff at sea instead of having them [00:12:50] process through immigration. But yeah, [00:12:52] the um it was completely performative. [00:12:57] And then when the Vatican got involved, [00:12:58] that was super annoying. But um yeah, it [00:13:02] was basically just a show of force. Uh [00:13:05] there we didn't really integrate with [00:13:07] the fleet. We didn't really even contact [00:13:09] the ships. We knew that they they [00:13:10] weren't going to go um more than 150 [00:13:13] miles off the coast of Israel, which is [00:13:15] the interdiction zone. So yeah, they [00:13:18] were kind of like a from our [00:13:19] perspective, it was basically a [00:13:21] political win. It was a messaging win to [00:13:23] get these ships on, but like they [00:13:25] weren't there to help us at all. [00:13:29] And let's go back to your detainment. [00:13:31] Um, I want to hear more about how you [00:13:34] were treated inside of this Israeli uh, [00:13:36] prison. Um, when I spoke to you had [00:13:38] mentioned that, you know, you were zip [00:13:39] tied. Uh, you were some other veterans [00:13:42] mentioned that they were put in actual [00:13:43] cages. I mean, what was the situation [00:13:47] like? [00:13:48] >> So, first of all, we we got staged [00:13:50] outside of the immigration facility [00:13:52] coming off the boats. Uh, and you know, [00:13:54] they they forced us to like sit [00:13:56] cross-legged for hours until Benir got [00:13:59] there. So, he rolls up with a camera [00:14:01] crew [00:14:02] and he's trying to get like footage for [00:14:04] his propaganda and we're just yelling at [00:14:06] him the whole time. He's like, "You [00:14:08] terrorist." He's like, "You're a [00:14:09] freaking You're the only one in this [00:14:11] conversation who's actually been [00:14:12] convicted of terrorism by your own [00:14:13] government. So, what are we even talking [00:14:15] about?" So, everyone shouted him down so [00:14:17] he couldn't get his little propaganda [00:14:19] video. And so, he got all pissed. [00:14:23] uh and then ordered us to be put in [00:14:25] handcuffs, zip ties. Uh so after he [00:14:28] left, like all the cops came with like [00:14:30] boxes, like bags and bags of zip ties [00:14:33] and um yeah, they were put on like some [00:14:36] people were like cut. They were on so [00:14:39] tight I started losing feeling in my [00:14:41] hand. I had to like get like super [00:14:43] dramatic and get them to loosen it. Uh [00:14:45] people were put in stress positions. Uh [00:14:48] yeah, like people who weren't in pants [00:14:51] were like forced to like stand like on [00:14:54] their knees in the concrete. Uh and then [00:14:57] we went through uh the the detention [00:15:00] processing and you know some people [00:15:02] signed self-deportation orders. Um they [00:15:05] went through all of our bags. They threw [00:15:07] out all everyone's medication. [00:15:09] Uh [00:15:11] no one saw an attorney. Um and then we [00:15:14] put on and this this in this this [00:15:17] processing took like [00:15:24] >> I can't hear you Greg. [00:15:33] >> I have lost [00:15:36] >> There you go. I I couldn't hear you for [00:15:38] about 30 seconds. [00:15:40] >> Oh yeah, I was getting phone calls. Uh [00:15:42] yeah, they they they completely just [00:15:43] were not [00:15:46] um prepared administratively and [00:15:49] logistically for any of this. And we [00:15:52] could tell uh they also didn't really [00:15:56] they lost control of the the prison [00:15:58] situation. Like they set up these [00:16:01] massive TVs in the detention block to [00:16:04] play like October 7th footage for like [00:16:07] 12 hours straight. Uh like it was on a [00:16:09] loop. Uh I think one of the the main [00:16:12] demonstrations of how they were losing [00:16:13] control and how they didn't know how to [00:16:15] deescalate or you know basically deal [00:16:18] with anyone without like a certain level [00:16:19] of violence that they use on [00:16:20] Palestinians was one of the Turkish [00:16:22] delegates unplugged the TV and so a [00:16:25] couple prison guards tried to like [00:16:27] arrest him and put him on isolation but [00:16:30] they got kettled by the other 13 Turks [00:16:32] and they dearrested this guy inside [00:16:35] their own prison block. Um, so they [00:16:39] weren't really in control of the [00:16:40] situation. They didn't really have any [00:16:42] clear uh orders. Um, you know, I I think [00:16:45] there was like obviously a lot of [00:16:47] neglect, [00:16:48] you know, they were withholding insulin [00:16:50] and stuff like that, but it doesn't seem [00:16:53] like anyone was really in charge. Uh, [00:16:55] they wanted us out of there as soon as [00:16:56] possible. Um, and unfortunately it was [00:17:00] the holidays where everything was shut [00:17:01] down. But yeah, this was a problem that [00:17:04] nobody none of them wanted to deal with. [00:17:06] And They're forced to deal with it. [00:17:08] >> Yeah, that's really interesting that [00:17:11] they had you guys watch October 7th [00:17:13] propaganda and all that guy had to do [00:17:15] was just unplug the TV. [00:17:18] >> It got like Lord of the Flies in the [00:17:19] prison ward. Like everybody was being [00:17:22] disobedient. Like people got out of [00:17:24] their cell block uh cells and were just [00:17:26] like walking around randomly uh in the [00:17:28] ward. Um, yeah. I I I think they were [00:17:33] again completely out of reckoning [00:17:34] because they couldn't treat us like [00:17:36] Palestinians. So, [00:17:37] >> yeah. Well, that that was going to be my [00:17:39] next thing to talk about is that, you [00:17:40] know, this is not how Palestinians are [00:17:43] treated. I mean, they're treated with [00:17:44] excessive force, with beatings, with [00:17:46] rape, with uh a lot of abuse. And so [00:17:51] >> a lot of people have, you know, this [00:17:52] really exposes like, you know, the [00:17:54] privilege that Westerners have when they [00:17:56] are approached or, you know, in in [00:18:00] experiencing Israeli apartheid is that [00:18:02] they're not going to experience the [00:18:03] brutality that Palestinians [00:18:05] um experience every single day because [00:18:07] in some of those prisons, I I actually [00:18:08] did a video about an hour before you [00:18:10] were released, Greg, I actually released [00:18:12] a video um kind of bringing attention to [00:18:14] the horrific conditions inside these [00:18:16] prisons that maybe you and others could [00:18:18] face. But it sounds like you guys didn't [00:18:20] face as bad as what Palestinians would [00:18:22] face. [00:18:22] >> No, I've seen footage from inside the [00:18:24] prisons. Okay. Like so [00:18:27] like we had mattresses and pillows and [00:18:30] stuff. Like Palestinians don't even get [00:18:32] that. Like they just they they just put [00:18:34] them on a cot in a bunk bed that's just [00:18:36] like steel and that's what they sleep [00:18:38] on. Um you know, we were given food. We [00:18:41] had access to to water in the sink. Um, [00:18:46] yeah, but they they did send in raid [00:18:48] squads every few hours so no one could [00:18:49] get a lot of sleep. And we've seen uh [00:18:52] basically what a raid squad is, it's [00:18:53] basically just a tactical team with a [00:18:55] dog and guns. They just like bust into [00:18:58] the prison cell, wake everybody up, [00:19:00] intimidate people, then leave. So, [00:19:03] >> and how long were you detained for [00:19:05] before you were released? Uh, we were [00:19:07] detained. We were captured. We were [00:19:11] kidnapped, sorry, at 400 a.m. Thursday. [00:19:14] We were done uh processing about 6:00 [00:19:17] a.m. Friday. And then I was shipped back [00:19:21] Monday. I was the first American to uh [00:19:24] to get shipped back. [00:19:26] Uh, it was [00:19:28] >> And you were And how were you like [00:19:30] received in the United States when you [00:19:31] arrived at the airport in Texas? [00:19:34] >> Uh, wow. Everybody was there. Like [00:19:36] hundreds of people showed up. Uh Austin [00:19:38] for Palestine Coalition was there. But [00:19:40] what was interesting is I was because my [00:19:44] my congressman Lloyd Dogget uh got [00:19:47] involved. I was put on a like a charter [00:19:50] flight out of the Slov uh via through [00:19:52] the Slovakian government. So I I landed [00:19:54] in Bradlava and then transitioned uh [00:19:59] then then flew back to the United States [00:20:02] from Bradlava. [00:20:06] Yeah. [00:20:06] >> So, you got a little bit of special [00:20:07] treatment because of uh your senator. [00:20:10] >> My congressman got involved. Yeah. [00:20:12] >> Excuse me. [00:20:12] >> Yeah. Slovakia Slovakia had only one of [00:20:15] its citizens detained and they chartered [00:20:17] a freaking G6 just to bring him back. [00:20:19] So, we got we got put on the uh the [00:20:22] charter flight out of the uh uh port of [00:20:25] IOT. Um it was myself and Mo. She was a [00:20:28] Marine Corps veteran because her [00:20:29] congressman in New York also got uh I [00:20:32] forget who her congresswoman is, but she [00:20:35] got involved too. So that's why we're [00:20:37] the two Americans who got uh released a [00:20:39] day early. [00:20:41] >> Okay. I'm curious to know more about um [00:20:43] your congressman um his name and what he [00:20:46] has done for you to advocate for your [00:20:49] release and just you being back. [00:20:52] >> Uh it was like behind the scenes work [00:20:53] with the State Department. I literally [00:20:54] just got back from meeting him. Um, [00:20:57] yeah, it was basically just making phone [00:20:59] calls, pressuring it. Um, so I I guess [00:21:01] through the State Department, they were [00:21:04] made aware of my existence and then [00:21:08] um I'm still trying to process [00:21:10] everything, but I just got put on that [00:21:11] charter flight. [00:21:12] >> Okay. [00:21:12] >> Because they're like, "We want this guy [00:21:13] out of here now." So that's why I got [00:21:16] released a day early along with Mo. [00:21:18] >> Yeah. Well, and you know, while you guys [00:21:20] were there and uh the Israeli Navy was [00:21:23] busy patrolling uh the Samur flatillaa [00:21:25] ships, a lot of Palestinians [00:21:28] uh actually recorded themselves catching [00:21:30] fish that day because a lot of them were [00:21:32] in the past afraid to be on the coast of [00:21:35] Gaz. Israel had prevented a lot of [00:21:36] people from fishing to access food. [00:21:38] Obviously, the people there are [00:21:39] starving. And so, they were just saying [00:21:42] thank you to all of you. Even if the aid [00:21:44] didn't reach the shores of Gaza, they [00:21:46] were just so grateful to be able to [00:21:49] reach their own shores and to fish and [00:21:52] you know cook from the sea, [00:21:55] >> eat from the sea. [00:21:56] >> And so they were very grateful for that. [00:21:58] So um you know it it provided [00:22:01] Palestinians in Gaza a little bit of [00:22:02] relief even if it was just for a few [00:22:04] hours or for a whole day. The kind of [00:22:07] relief that they hadn't experienced for [00:22:09] two years. [00:22:11] >> Yeah. I mean I knew we were never going [00:22:12] to get there. Uh but then again, the aid [00:22:14] wasn't the point. It was the information [00:22:16] war that we're waging for the uh [00:22:18] existential survival of Gaza. And this [00:22:20] was all Yeah. We were we were never [00:22:22] going to make it. Like people thought [00:22:24] like we would do that, but no. [00:22:28] >> Yeah. And so now we have this ceasefire [00:22:30] deal and we'll kind of wrap it up with [00:22:31] this uh topic here. Um you know, a lot [00:22:34] of people are obviously critical of [00:22:36] this. We're happy, you know, we're [00:22:38] celebrating all everybody to see that [00:22:39] the most of the killing has stopped. Of [00:22:42] course, in the last 24 hours, Israel uh [00:22:44] shot at Palestinians walking back home [00:22:47] and celebrating the ceasefire and they [00:22:50] killed about 20 people or so. Um, [00:22:53] however, it seems like this one is going [00:22:56] this ceasefire agreement is going [00:22:57] through. What are your thoughts on this? [00:23:01] >> I mean, we, you know, we've both been [00:23:03] tracking the ceasefire drama for the [00:23:05] past two years. Um, a lot of it's [00:23:08] poisonpilled. A lot of it's kind of [00:23:10] vague on the details. Uh I'm always [00:23:13] leerary of Trump. He uses the guise of [00:23:16] ceasefire talks as a tool of political [00:23:18] assassination. [00:23:20] Um you know, he tried to he authorized [00:23:22] this or at least gave the green light to [00:23:26] strike the Hamas negotiating team in [00:23:28] Qatar uh last month. So I mean it's [00:23:31] hugely problematic. He also does want a [00:23:33] Nobel Peace Prize. And you know, Jared [00:23:35] Kushner [00:23:36] uh has some like [00:23:39] uh his son-in-law obviously invested in [00:23:42] the whole real estate and developing [00:23:44] Gaza into Gaza Lago. Uh you know, Gaza [00:23:48] Project 2035. The Rand Corporation has [00:23:51] written position pieces about like uh [00:23:53] and is consulting the White House. Like [00:23:55] this is all about like even if the [00:23:57] ceasefire goes through, this is all [00:23:58] about real estate. It's a real estate. [00:24:01] >> That's what it is. Uh, you know, Trump [00:24:02] is a real estate developer. Steve Whit [00:24:05] um, you know, is a real estate mogul, [00:24:07] his special envoy to the Middle East. [00:24:09] Tony Blair now is deep in real estate [00:24:12] and he's going to be put as like regent [00:24:14] in charge of Gaza. Like [00:24:19] that's the driving force behind this. [00:24:20] And so like I think that he is a [00:24:23] capitalist and if he thinks that, you [00:24:25] know, he can secure more capital, he's [00:24:28] going to do that. So I do think that [00:24:29] like [00:24:31] just from a profit motive perspective [00:24:33] that this this ceasefire does have a [00:24:36] better chance than anyone else than any [00:24:39] of [00:24:39] >> I think a lot of yeah I think a lot of [00:24:41] people are seeing that there is going to [00:24:42] be relief in terms of the killings but [00:24:45] there's no question there is no doubt [00:24:47] that this ceasefire proposal was drafted [00:24:49] and written it's it's a fact by Jared [00:24:52] Kushner and Steve Wituff and you know [00:24:55] with Donald Trump and so these are all [00:24:57] real estate moguls And we know that [00:24:59] Jared and Steve and even Donald Trump [00:25:02] himself have had their eyes on the coast [00:25:04] of Gaza for their so-called uh real [00:25:07] estate vision. I mean, remember that [00:25:08] video that Trump [00:25:10] >> the AI slop video of Gazal? Yeah. [00:25:13] >> Yeah. Yeah. The AI video where [00:25:15] Palestinians are holding balloons of [00:25:17] Trump and they're just celebrating that [00:25:19] uh you know Trump uh saved them and [00:25:22] rebuilt Gaza. I do think I I do think [00:25:25] one important point is [00:25:28] >> uh the voluntary migration just from a [00:25:31] profit mo mode of capital uh labor [00:25:34] resource like they need the people in [00:25:36] Gaza to be able to clean up serve as the [00:25:39] labor force to basically develop Gaza. [00:25:42] So [00:25:43] >> oh boy [00:25:45] >> Palestinians are the ones who are [00:25:46] building a lot of things inside of even [00:25:49] >> Isra inside of Israel because they [00:25:51] utilize them for labor. So there's, you [00:25:53] know, it will probably happen inside of [00:25:56] Gaza as well. Well, Greg, um, we're very [00:25:59] glad, uh, to see you home, to see you [00:26:02] safe. Uh, we were very worried about [00:26:03] you. We were, I mean, literally the [00:26:05] whole world was watching your your [00:26:06] videos and we were just kind of sitting [00:26:09] at the edge of our seat to to know if [00:26:11] you were okay. And not just you, but all [00:26:12] of the flotilla members. Um, we commend [00:26:15] every single one of you for your [00:26:17] bravery. What you guys did despite [00:26:20] knowing that, you know, maybe you're not [00:26:21] going to make it all the way to is you [00:26:23] gave a lot of people hope [00:26:25] >> and um and I don't think it's a [00:26:28] coincidence that uh all of your actions [00:26:32] uh made a huge difference considering [00:26:34] the fact that some sort of proposal for [00:26:36] a ceasefire, the end of the killing was [00:26:38] just proposed and gone through. But all [00:26:41] of this activism and this um organizing, [00:26:45] putting the power back into the people's [00:26:47] hands, it's real. Like we do have the [00:26:49] power to stop a genocide. Um and you [00:26:52] prove that to everybody. And so uh we [00:26:54] commend you and all of the flotillaa [00:26:56] members for doing that for us. [00:26:58] >> Yeah. I'm I'm just glad we uh we we're [00:27:00] able to prove that activism can move [00:27:01] geopolitics. So that's fun, guys. Keep [00:27:04] pushing. [00:27:05] >> You did it. [00:27:07] >> All right, Greg. Um well, we'll see you [00:27:08] soon. I think you you should rest. Um I [00:27:11] know you've been [00:27:11] >> Yeah, I'm going to I'm going to [00:27:12] disappear for like five days, guys. So, [00:27:15] >> yeah. I mean, if you just came out of an [00:27:16] Israeli prison, I think it's time for [00:27:18] some rest. Um so, we Okay, Greg. Well, [00:27:21] thank you so much. [00:27:22] >> All right. Cheers, y'all. [00:27:25] Bye-bye. [00:27:28] >> All right, we are done. We ended it. I [00:27:30] think.