Ann Wright, an American activist who was arrested earlier this month among 13 women activists sailing to Gaza to protest Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, slammed Washington’s military aid to Israel in an interview with Anadolu Agency last Saturday.

“It is outrageous that the US government has decided that over the next 10 years we will be giving $38 billion to the state of Israel,” said Wright, a retired US army colonel, former diplomat, and human rights activist.

Wright was on the Zaytouna-Oliva, the Women’s Boat to Gaza which sailed from Barcelona, Spain to Gaza on September 15, attempting to break Israel’s ten-year siege on the enclave.

Ann Wright, an American activist who was arrested earlier this month among 13 women activists sailing to Gaza to… https://t.co/sT4KnmC5Cj

— Team Palestina (@TeamPalestina) October 30, 2016

Saying that the Israeli military is already well-funded and the country has a dynamic economy, Wright argued: “The United States is giving money to Israel for the specific purpose of killing Palestinians because that is essentially what the Israeli military does.”

She added that the Israeli military is using Gaza as a staging ground for military exercises.

Wright said that the US government is also tracking her activities due to her views on Washington’s policies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as US military activities across the globe.

#SOSwomentogaza American KIDNAPPED by Israel
All respect to Brave American Ann Wright
Served 29 yrs in the US Army & US diplomat for 16 yrs pic.twitter.com/626Pzr0Tow

— Abbs Winston (@AbbsWinston) October 5, 2016

“We call on the US government to end its support for the criminal policies of the state of Israel,” she said.

(MEMO, PC)