1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Over the last 48 hours, participants on the Global Sumud Flotilla who were illegally abducted in international waters have arrived in Istanbul with horrific injuries (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/22/australians-detained-gaza-flotilla-activists-allege-idf-abuse-beating-torture-sexual-assault-ntwnfb), including broken limbs, severe bruising (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYowX4tAQHg/), gunshot wounds, and more. As testimonies emerge of sexual assault, the systemic abuse of captives throughout the Israeli detention network has been laid bare. One student detained was kneed in the face and stomach by Israeli soldiers, her head was slammed into a table, and her earrings pulled at with pliers. During a strip-search, she was also subjected to degrading comments. Others have reported being shot at with rubber bullets, tasered, beaten, and being sexually assaulted. Detainees were blindfolded, held in stress positions, hands bound, denied food and water and medical care for their injuries. They have endured broken bones, bruises, and many are currently receiving urgent care at hospitals. 10 people have reported being raped (https://www.instagram.com/p/DYn1xpyG2Pa/). While this outrage over the treatment of flotilla activists is important, it also exposes a double standard. Condemnation does not come so freely when Palestinians are continually subjected to torture (https://www.btselem.org/publications/202408_welcome_to_hell) and rape in Israeli detention.  Over 9,100 (https://www.btselem.org/statistics/detainees_and_prisoners) Palestinians are currently detained by Israel, thousands of them without charge, and their abuse is well documented (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/05/special-rapporteur-torture-warns-persistent-risks-palestinian-detainees?__cf_chl_rt_tk=q.QcbBUVF6U7BWjBKoAhF5bM3GK963ONC1Aec2q8s4o-1779445170-1.0.1.1-IU6yLlHhzllz3WoN2BODKclGwjQGIOy5rojBzRp7hVA). You must act to end Israel’s human rights abuses against captives, their continued ethnic cleansing (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/ethnic-cleansing-concerns-gaza-and-west-bank-amid-intensified-violence-and) of Palestinian land, illegal occupation (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjerjzxlpvdo), apartheid (https://www.icj.org/un-icj-denounces-israels-system-of-apartheid-against-palestinians/) and genocide. (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds) I urge you to: • Impose full, comprehensive sanctions on Israel. • Enforce a complete two-way trade embargo, ending all import and export activity. • Immediately end all arms sales and intelligence cooperation. • Ensure unimpeded access for aid and humanitarian organisations. • Demand an end to the illegal (https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/19/world-court-finds-israel-responsible-apartheid) occupation.