Last week, two activists, brothers Tor and Adnaan Stumo, were aboard a vessel sailing through international waters off the coast of Gaza when they were arrested by Israeli forces. According to an Oct. 4 Gazette article, the Stumo brothers, who are from Sheffield, Massachusetts, had “set sail from Barcelona to deliver food, water and supplies to those in Gaza suffering from starvation” but were “intercepted by the Israeli military on Wednesday, [Oct. 1]” and sent to an Israeli prison.
The Stumo brothers were among nearly 500 activists participating in the Global Sumud flotilla, which is part of an ongoing effort to bring aid into Gaza via a fleet of small vessels.
In addition to being natives of western Massachusetts, the Stumo brothers also happen to be the children of Nadia Milleron, the niece of consumer advocate Ralph Nader and an attorney who ran for Congress last year. Milleron, who has lost two children, was understandably shocked to hear her sons had been taken captive: “It was horrifying as a parent,” she told the Gazette.
The situation on the ground in Gaza has been greatly lamented by those who care about human rights in the past two years — and rightfully so, as it constitutes a great crime against human life. Atrocities in Gaza continue to unfold, and we must continue to shed light on them.
However, the arrest of members of the Sumud Flotilla highlights a different angle of our relationship with the current Israeli government, one which should be of concern to all Americans.
The Stumo brothers have one thing in common with over a dozen of those recently arrested by Israel: they’re all American citizens. So, while you may not agree with their tactics, it’s difficult to claim that they are terrorists or “radical jihadists.” They are citizens of your country.
This fact should immediately cut through any question of ideological differences. At its most basic level, this story is one about American citizens being arrested and terrorized by a foreign nation that purports to be one of our “most important” international allies.
The Sumud activists were not just arrested for sailing in international waters; a number of the detainees were also subjected to psychological humiliation in the time they spent in Israeli custody.
One American who was arrested told PBS that the prisoners “weren’t allowed to look them in the face, always had to keep your head down.” When he did look up,” he said, “a man … came and slapped me on the back of the head.”
In response to this sort of treatment, Israeli National Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged his government to keep the Americans “in Israeli prison for a few [more] months so they can get a taste of the terrorist wing.”
Undeniably, this is not the rhetoric of a nation that views the United States as a true ally. Rather, the Israeli government knows it is exploiting our unyielding support. Therefore, we cannot possibly be allies with the government of Israel, as an “alliance” would imply a relationship of mutual benefit.
At the moment, the U.S. accrues no benefit from a government that terrorizes our people and then suggests that it should have gone further. If any of our other allies acted in this manner — say, the UK or Canada, for example — they would surely be met with harsh condemnation and probably a wave of sanctions.
And yet, in this case, members of Donald Trump’s cabinet lauded the arrest of its own citizens. Israeli Ambassador Mike Huckabee refused to recognize the Americans as victims of Israeli mistreatment, instead referring to them as “Hamas stooges.”
To those who remain steadfast in their support for American aid to Israel, I would ask whether you consider the imprisonment of Americans a necessary price to pay for this relationship. It seems like it should be a nonstarter, and yet many choose to look the other way as the rights of their fellow citizens are violated.
When Trump first launched his campaign back in 2015, he famously centered it around the notion of “America First” policy. Obviously, there were many problematic elements of the policy that underpinned this slogan in practice. In theory, though, the slogan does convey an important truth: the ultimate duty of the American government, by definition, is to protect the rights of American citizens.
To quote Thomas Jefferson, we should strive to maintain “honest friendship with all nations,” including Israel. But we also should know when another country has crossed a line.
If you are all right with the mistreatment of those in Palestine, there’s probably little I can do to change your mind. However, there has to be a point where the mistreatment of citizens from your own country, with whom you share the same fundamental rights, is more than you can take. It’s up to you to decide: have we reached that point?
Olin Rose-Bardawil of Florence is a student at Tufts University where he majors in political science.