Why are they so obsessed with her?

Powerful men line up to mock an activist. Why? Greta Thunberg’s stand for Palestine exposes not just injustice but also the fragile egos and deep misogyny of those who uphold it.

It was a small ship. A British-flagged yacht named Madleen, loaded with a symbolic amount of aid, a few activists, and more moral clarity than the institutions that once defined the West. On board were Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, and ten others, sailing toward Gaza through international waters. Their intent was to break a blockade that has turned a coastal strip into an open grave. The Israeli navy intercepted them on June 3. They boarded the boat and rerouted it to Ashdod.

In a pre-recorded message released shortly after the interception, Thunberg spoke with the clarity that so often eludes the political class: “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel.” She asked her friends and comrades to pressure Sweden for her release.

Greta Thunberg as she is being deported from Israel, 10 June 2025.

The Israeli foreign ministry circulated photos of Thunberg in a life jacket, smiling next to …