Greta Thunberg leaves Israel after arrest on auxiliary ship to Paris
Greta Thunberg leaves Israel after arrest on auxiliary ship to Paris
The Swedish climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg left Israel towards France on Tuesday after being arrested together with other activists on a auxiliary ship for Gaza by Israeli forces.
Details for the arrest of Greta Thunberg
"Greta Thunberg left Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France)," wrote the Israeli Foreign Ministry on the platform X and published two photos of the young activist on board an aircraft.
The 22-year-old Thunberg is a well-known climate activist who has been avoiding air travel for a long time and, for example, arrived at a sailing ship for a climate conference in New York in 2019.
Situation of the colleagues
At least five of her colleagues, who were also arrested on Monday on board the Madleen auxiliary ship, have refused to travel voluntarily, and are now deported, as the French Foreign Minister announced on Tuesday.
"Last night our consul was able to meet the six French citizens who were arrested by the Israeli authorities. Their families were contacted. One of them agreed to a voluntary return and is expected today. The other five are deported," said Jean-Noël Barrot in a contribution to X.
political reactions and international concern
Among those arrested on Monday by Israel is Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament. "In the past few days and hours, the President of the European Parliament has been in constant contact with the Israeli authorities to ensure the security of Rima Hassan and her companion," said Delphine Colard, a spokeswoman for the European Parliament, on Monday.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously stated that anyone who refused to sign the show documents and leave Israel will be brought before the judiciary to approve their deportation.
facts about the auxiliary ship Madleen
The crew of the Madleen auxiliary ship on Monday morning of Israel was launched on Monday evening in the Israeli port of Ashdod, as the Foreign Ministry reported.
The Madleen is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that protests against the Blockade Gazas and tried to break through boats. The coalition said that the Israeli military had "attacked" the Madleen and "illegally boards" while the ship wanted to bring help to Gaza. In Gaza, where there has been war for more than 600 days and the Israeli blockade has lasted for 11 weeks, the 2.1 million inhabitants have come into a hunger crisis.
reactions of organizations and the international community
Amnesty International also condemned the arrest of the activists. "The operation to intercept and block the Madleen in the middle of the night and in international waters violates international law and endangers people's security on the ship," said Agnès Callamard, the general secretary of Amnesty International, in a statement.
In an explanation to CNN, Israel emphasized that "the access of all ships to the Gaza Strip is prevented according to international law". Israel had explained several times that the auxiliary ship wanted to prevent Gaza and described it as "selfie yacht" with "celebrities" on board.
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
On March 2, Israel imposed a complete humanitarian blockade against Gaza and thus cut the food supply, medical relief supplies and other support for the more than 2 million Palestinians in the area. At the end of May, Israel began to have a limited amount of help. However, humanitarian organizations warn that this is only a fraction of the auxiliary deliveries that came into the area before the war and warn of a tangeful humanitarian crisis and a growing risk. A report supported by the United Nations warned at the end of April that everyone was threatened with starvation.
challenges in the auxiliary delivery
Last week, dozens of Palestinians were killed when they tried to receive help from a new group supported by the USA who is commissioned to deliver relief goods to Gaza: the Gaza Humanitrian Foundation (GHF). This group is intended to replace the system directed by the UN to distribute relief goods in Gaza. The United Nations have warned that the new distribution mechanism has become a "death trap" for desperate people who are looking for food in the Gaza Strip.
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