Greta Thunberg deported to France after Gaza-bound aid boat intercepted – National

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg departed Israel on a flight to France on Tuesday morning after being detained by Israeli forces, along with 11 other activists.

She and the others were on an aid ship — the British-flagged yacht Madleen — headed for Gaza on Monday when they were intercepted.

“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” Israel’s foreign ministry wrote on X, sharing two photos of Thunberg on a plane.

When Thunberg landed at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after being deported from Israel, she accused the country of “kidnapping us in international waters and against our will bringing us to Israel, keeping us in the bottom of the boat.”

“This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing,” Thunberg told reporters at the airport.

Thunberg added that her experience was “nothing compared to what the Palestinians are going through.”

She said she wasn’t able to “say goodbye” to the other activists who were detained with her.

“I am very worried about them. We heard many different messages pointing towards that they would not make it easy and there were troubles with being able to see lawyers,” Thunberg told reporters. “I’m very much calling for their immediate release and calling for everyone who can to mobilize to their government and other ways to demand their immediate release.”

France said five of the six French citizens detained alongside Thunberg had refused to sign their deportation orders and would be subject to judicial proceedings.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the activist group operating the yacht, has demanded the immediate release of everyone detained.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry referred to the boat as the “Selfie Yacht,” and said the passengers “arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries.”

“Some of the ‘Selfie Yacht’ passengers are expected to leave within the next few hours. Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. Consuls from the passengers’ home countries met them at the airport,” the ministry added.

The boat, accompanied by Israel’s navy, arrived in Ashdod on Monday evening, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. It published a photo on social media of Thunberg after disembarking.

The 12 activists underwent medical checks to ensure they were in good health, the ministry said. They were expected to be held at a detention facility in Ramle before being deported, according to Adalah, a legal rights group representing them.

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The activists had set out to protest Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the voyage, said the activists were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid.

“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” it said in a statement.

It said the ship was seized in international waters about 200 kilometres from Gaza, and Adalah asserted that Israel had “no legal authority” to take it over.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying on social media that “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel.”

It said the activists would return to their home countries and the aid would be sent to Gaza through established channels. It circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing life vests.

“This wasn’t humanitarian aid. It’s Instagram activism,” Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said. “Meanwhile, Israel has delivered over 1,200 truckloads in the last two weeks. So who’s really feeding Gaza and who’s really feeding their own ego? Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.”

The Madleen set sail from Sicily a week ago. Along the way, it stopped on Thursday to rescue four migrants who had jumped overboard to avoid being detained by Libya’s coast guard, reports The Associated Press.

“I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,” Thunberg said in a prerecorded message released after the ship was halted.

Adalah, the rights group, said in a statement that “the arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law.”

— With files from The Associated Press

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