1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: The teenager is among three New Zealand citizens who have 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: been detained by Israeli Defense forces off the coast of Gaza. 3 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:08,800 Speaker 1: The three were with Greta Turnberg on bord of flotilla 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: trying to reach the Gaza Strip. Now Ad Leason is 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: the father of eighteen year old Samuel Leson and is 6 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: with us. Hi Ad. Yeah, I'm very well, thanks mate, 7 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: you've been in touch with your son at all. 8 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 2: Well, the last time you spoke was last evening, New 9 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 2: Zealand time. 10 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: And is this before the IDF came on board. 11 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, so we kind of spoke to him last night, 12 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 2: and all of the signals were suggesting that something was imminent. 13 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 2: There was a submarine had surfaced and was circling the flotilla, 14 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 2: and there was the blockade of various military vessels in 15 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 2: the distance between them and the Gaza beach, so it 16 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 2: was all kind of lining up. We were comforted by 17 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 2: the fact that the Israeli Defense Force has announced they 18 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,759 Speaker 2: weren't going to attack vessels, sink them and shoot people 19 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 2: in the water like they did on on another occasion, 20 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 2: So we took comfort from that. And the way it 21 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 2: looks like it's playing out is that they are boarding ships, 22 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 2: taking people and and processing them on their on their battleships. 23 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:29,199 Speaker 1: And then what presumably just sending them home? Are they Yeah? 24 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 2: I mean I think again the pattern seems to be 25 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 2: they put them in these detention centers. There's there's some 26 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 2: hundred thousand Palestinians and in these massive detention centers. So 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 2: the activists get thrown in there. Some activists choosing to 28 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 2: kind of get a get a fast track deportation, I 29 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 2: think at their own expense. Other other activists have chosen 30 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 2: to sit it out in the cells as a kind 31 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 2: of a witness to the war crimes that are taking 32 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 2: place and taking their you know, taking their fight into 33 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 2: the cells. I guess Samuel announced last night that he 34 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 2: would be, you know, staying on a little bit longer. 35 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 2: So he's choosing to talk. 36 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: Him out of that at all. 37 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 2: Look, I don't know if you've ever raised teenagers. They 38 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: do exactly what you say. They are totally obedient and compliant, 39 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 2: which which of course is not true. So he's a 40 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 2: young man with his own mind. He's had he's had 41 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 2: a strong and rich Catholic formation within an anarchist community 42 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 2: called the Catholic Worker. So he's he's been exposed to 43 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 2: lots of different ideas. He's been in the Mardi world 44 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:57,119 Speaker 2: and drawing deeply from I guess all sorts of traditions, 45 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 2: and he has made up his own mind. What can 46 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 2: you do? 47 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: Okay, listen, any expectation from the New Zealand government here? 48 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 2: Well, yes, we've got a fantastic history of standing up 49 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 2: to French nuclear testing in the Pacific and and apartheid 50 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 2: in South Africa, and we can we can go back 51 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 2: through our long and storied history. Unfortunately, we've got an 52 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 2: administration who seems to be content to be sitting on 53 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 2: their hands, asleep at the wheel while a terrible the 54 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 2: most arguably the most obscene atrocities of our generation, because 55 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 2: it's it's done by a modern country just like us, 56 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 2: one we do sports with and trade with. And we 57 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 2: see the Israelis as close friends. And now they're now 58 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 2: they're descending into some sort of barbarism. And and Winston 59 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 2: Peters unfortunately is you know, is touching himself at work 60 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 2: and not doing his job. He's just he's looking the 61 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 2: other way. And his ministry are doing a fine job. 62 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 2: They're communicating, they're helping, but they're working within the parameters 63 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 2: of the Minister which are very restrictive. 64 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: All right, Adi, thanks very much, appreciate your time, best 65 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: of luck with everything. Ad Leson, who's the father of 66 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 1: Samuel Leeson who's been arrested by the IDF. For more 67 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to news Talks. 68 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 69 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.