Shashi Naidoo: ‘I was interrogated by Israeli officials’

Shashi Naidoo addressed the media at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday night, where she opened up about the trauma of being denied entry into Palestine by the Israeli authorities.

Shashi made the trip to Palestine earlier this week after receiving major backlash for calling Gaza a “s**thole” during a social media debate with a follower last month.

During a press conference organised by herself and Palestine solidarity organisation, BDS South Africa, it was revealed that Shashi would travel to the state to “get more educated”.

However, the trip was cut short when Israeli authorities stopped Shashi at the Jordan border on grounds that the state had the right to deny entry “to those seeking to harm the country”.

#ShashiNaidoo All I wanted was to enter Palestine and see for myself, I communicated that to the Israeli authorities but still I was refused entry pic.twitter.com/28MVI2tPm5

— #Africa4Palestine (@Africa4Pal) July 26, 2018

The model described the interrogation process as “mental warfare” and said that after two hours she was in tears

“I was made to sit on a chair and then I was searched. And then I went to another area, pulled aside again.

“In the beginning I was actually offered a Fanta and I thought, okay this is not so bad. But then we sat down and as the interrogation went on it was clear they obviously knew who I was and what was happening. But it got more and more intense, and after about two hours [of] interrogation, by the end of it I was in tears.”

Shashi also confirmed that she was banned from Palestine for ten years, and expressed concerns over the travel implications the ban would have on her visa applications to visit other countries.

Watch part of Shashi’s media address below:

#ShashiNaidoo speaks about being #detained trying to gain entry into #Palestine pic.twitter.com/95wyGt9KyA

— Marcella Marino (@marcella_mrino) July 26, 2018

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