Israeli government takes hundreds of aid workers hostage

Israel intercepts Gaza flotilla and detains activists including Greta
Thunberg


Ruth Comerford

Hundreds of activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta
Thunberg, have been detained by Israeli forces after a flotilla
carrying aid bound for Gaza was intercepted.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said those involved in the Global Sumud
Flotilla (GSF) were being transferred to an Israeli port to be
deported.

The first boats were stopped about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza
coast in international waters and others closer. Israel has been
policing this area but does not have jurisdiction there.

Israel said its navy told the boats to change course as they were
"approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval
blockade", while the GSF described the interceptions as "illegal".

The group said Israel's response was "not an act of defence", but "a
brazen act of desperation".

It estimated 443 people were detained from the boats and alleged that
many were assaulted with water cannon. Israel said all those detained
were "safe and in good health".

A growing number of countries have expressed concern over the
incident, criticising Israel for staging the interception in
international waters.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has expelled all remaining Israeli
diplomats from the country in response, and denounced the interception
as an "international crime by [Israel's Prime Minister] Netanyahu".

Petro also terminated Colombia's free trade agreement with Israel, in
place since 2020, and called for the release of two Colombians who
were aboard the flotilla.

Amnesty International's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said
Israel's blockade on Gaza was "unlawful" and that the "decades-long
impunity for Israel's blatant violations of international law must
end".

However, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised the attempt
to reach Gaza, saying: "I continue to believe that all this brings no
benefit to the Palestinian people."

Israel's Foreign Ministry posted footage from the interception showing
Thunberg sitting on the deck of a boat, being handed water and a
jacket by a member of the Israeli military. Detained activists are
being taken to the port of Ashdod, Israel said.

"Greta and her friends are safe and healthy," the Israeli government
said.

Israel has described the flotilla as "provocation yachts" and contends
that it was justified in stopping the vessels before they entered the
naval blockade of the waters that border Gaza.

It said one boat remained "at a distance" and would be intercepted if
it approached the blockade.

That boat appeared to be the Marinette, which the GSF said was still
in communication and carrying six people on board. The flotilla's
tracking system showed it sailing in international waters a long
distance from Gaza's coastline on Thursday afternoon.

Israel said none of the boats entered the blockade area, though the
GSF tracking suggests one of its boats, the Mikeno, may have entered
Gaza's territorial waters, but remains out of contact.

See it all here:
<https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0lk292jww4o>


-- 
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web:  http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk