Israel to Deport Greta Thunberg to Greece Today

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is scheduled to be deported to Greece today, Monday, after being detained by Israeli forces for her participation in the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” a large-scale international effort attempting to break the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid.

The prominent activist’s deportation is part of the mass expulsion of hundreds of participants apprehended when the Israeli Navy intercepted the civilian-led convoy of more than 40 vessels last week. Greek authorities have reportedly organized and funded a special flight from Israel’s Eilat-Ramon International Airport to Athens, which will carry Thunberg along with 27 Greek nationals and dozens of other European detainees, including citizens from France, Italy, and Sweden.

The Flotilla’s Interception and Mass Detentions

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from ports across Europe and North Africa, comprised approximately 450 activists, parliamentarians, lawyers, and humanitarians from over 44 countries. Its mission was to challenge Israel’s long-standing maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver symbolic aid to the famine-stricken enclave.

Israeli naval forces intercepted the majority of the vessels, which organizers assert were sailing in international waters, and diverted them to the port of Ashdod. The Israeli Foreign Ministry defended the action, stating that the activists were “approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade,” and maintained that all passengers were “safe and in good health” before being transferred for detention and eventual deportation.

Allegations of Harsh Treatment in Custody

Following the arrests, reports emerged from activists who had been deported, alleging harsh and abusive treatment in Israeli custody, claims vehemently denied by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

The most widely reported allegations concern Thunberg herself. An email from the Swedish Foreign Ministry, citing an official who visited her in detention, stated that the activist reported being held in a cell reportedly infested with bedbugs, with insufficient access to food and water. The correspondence noted Thunberg’s reports of dehydration and rashes she suspected were caused by the bedbugs.

Furthermore, multiple released flotilla participants have given dramatic and disturbing accounts of Thunberg’s treatment. Turkish and Italian activists alleged they witnessed Israeli personnel subjecting Thunberg to humiliation, including being shoved, forced to sit for long periods on hard surfaces, and, in some accounts, being “dragged by her hair,” “forced to kiss the Israeli flag,” or “wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has dismissed these allegations as “outrageous lies” and “brazen lies,” insisting that all detainees’ legal rights were “fully upheld.” The Ministry claimed that Thunberg and others had even “refused to expedite their deportation” and that she had filed no complaints about the conditions to Israeli authorities.

International Fallout

The interception of the flotilla, which also included high-profile participants such as Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, has triggered international criticism and protests. Several nations and international bodies denounced the Israeli action as a violation of international law. Colombia, in particular, expelled Israel’s diplomatic delegation following the detention of two Colombian women on the flotilla.

For Greta Thunberg, this marks the second time she has been detained and deported by Israeli forces during an attempt to breach the Gaza blockade in the current year, underscoring her commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people amidst the ongoing crisis. Her deportation today closes a chapter on the latest high-profile attempt to circumvent the blockade, but it is unlikely to diminish the global attention focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.