The Foreign Ministry on Sunday denied claims that Israel was mistreating Greta Thunberg and other detained activists on the recently intercepted flotilla, calling the allegations “brazen lies,” even as the government minister in charge of prisons expressed pride that the detainees were being handled like terrorists.
Four of the detained French elected officials have started a hunger strike. In addition, an American congressman is organizing a letter to be signed by his colleagues demanding the release of a detained Jewish American.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza while delivering a token amount of humanitarian aid, was intercepted by Israel’s navy on Wednesday night and Thursday. Israeli forces detained some 450 activists, whom it is in the process of deporting. Many remain in prison.
Some of the activists who have returned to their home countries have described alleged abuse and humiliation at the hands of Israeli guards. Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi said Israeli soldiers withheld medicines and treated prisoners “like monkeys,” accusing Israeli officials of “torture, a denial of human rights, even the most basic ones.”
Tommasi said Thunberg was singled out by Israeli forces after being arrested, and echoed allegations that she was forced to hold an Israeli flag. The legal aid organization Adalah claimed on Saturday that numerous activists reported being mistreated, with some saying that they were denied food and water, or were manhandled by Israeli law enforcement. Thunberg has allegedly suffered from bedbugs during her detention.
The Foreign Ministry denied the allegations and said they did not come directly from Thunberg, a prominent climate activist. “All the detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
“Interestingly enough, Greta herself and other detainees refused to expedite their deportation and insisted on prolonging their stay in custody,” the statement said. “Greta also did not complain to the Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations — because they never occurred.”
Israel said 137 participants who agreed to a voluntary deportation have already left the country, with those who refuse to do so having to go through a legal proceeding to be deported. According to the Global Sumud Flotilla organization, 328 activists are still being held in Israel.
But on Sunday, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said he was “proud” of the harsh conditions the activists are subjected to in the prison where they are being held. He was also filmed mocking them as they were processed for detention and deportation.
“These are the terrorists of the flotilla,” he said. “Supporters of murderers… They didn’t really come for a flotilla or to help. Rather, they came for Gaza, for the terrorists.”
He said in a statement on Sunday that he visited the detainees at Ketziot Prison, where Israel also holds Palestinian security prisoners.
“I went to visit Ketziot prison and I was proud that we are treating the ‘flotilla activists’ as terror supporters, whoever supports terrorism is a terrorist, and deserves the conditions of terrorists,” he said. “It is worthwhile for them to experience the conditions in Ketziot prison, and think twice before they come close to Israel again. That’s how it works.”
Thunberg has reportedly met with Swedish embassy officials, although she has yet to meet with a lawyer, according to Adalah, which is representing the flotilla activists in legal proceedings to facilitate their deportation from Israel.
On Sunday, France Unbowed, a far-left French political party, said four of its officials who were detained for being on the flotilla have declared a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinians.
The officials are French national deputies Francois Piquemal and Marie Mesmeur, and MEPs Rima Hassan and Emma Fourreau.
“We have no news from them” apart from “brief exchanges with their lawyers and with the French consul who was able to visit them,” their colleague, MEP Manon Aubry, told French radio station Franceinfo on Sunday.
“Their detention conditions are difficult,” she said, describing more than 10 people per cell and difficulty accessing water. France Unbowed announced Saturday that Aubry called on French authorities to repatriate their nationals. Israel detained 30 French citizens on the flotilla.
“It is time for France to finally take action,” Aubry said, echoing her party’s national coordinator Manuel Bompard’s calls for “France to finally say something” on French television channel LCI.
In the United States, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said he would be organizing a letter from fellow members of Congress to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling for Jewish American flotilla activist David Adler to be released from Ketziot.
“I will be leading a delegation letter to Rubio & the Israeli Ambassador on Monday & hope every colleague, particularly every California member, will sign,” he posted on X. “Our government must stand up for an American citizen’s fair treatment and release.”
Adler had written a lengthy post last week expressing his pride that the flotilla was set to be intercepted on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. In the post, he accused Israel of “overseeing a holocaust of the Palestinian people” and said he was carrying on the legacy of his grandfather, who fought the Nazis as part of the French resistance.
Spain, meanwhile, said 21 of 49 citizens detained on a Gaza aid flotilla were due to leave Israel for home on Sunday.
“We have reached an agreement with Israel that … a first group of 21 Spanish citizens will leave Tel Aviv today and arrive in Spain,” Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Spanish public TV.
“We have the agreement of the authorities of Israel. Let’s hope nothing goes wrong at the last moment,” he added.
On Sunday, Spanish police said eight people were arrested and 20 police officers were injured in clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police in Barcelona on Saturday during protests over the detention of the flotilla activists. Demonstrators also vandalized shops that they claimed had links to Israel during a mainly peaceful march of 70,000 protesters, police said.
Tens of thousands took part in protests in Madrid and scores of other Spanish cities, as well as demonstrations in Rome and Lisbon, amid anger over the flotilla’s interception.