Israel will release and deport the two members of the Flotilla detained

JerusalemAfter nine days detained by Israel, the Catalan-Palestinian Saif Abukeshek and the Brazilian Thiago Ávila, activists from the Flotilla heading to Gaza, will be released and expelled from the country. The Israeli army intercepted both of them in international waters while participating in a mission aimed at breaking the blockade in the Strip.

the detention of the two activists extended until SundayAbu Salih, a member of Adalah, the legal center for the rights of the Arab minority in Israel representing the detainees, explains that the activists will now be transferred to the Israeli immigration authorities and will remain in custody until deportation is formalized. For the moment, Israeli authorities have not made any public announcements or statements regarding the decision.

The lawyer also criticizes the Israeli courts: “The fact that the courts allowed this detention to be prolonged for a week, despite unfounded accusations and the fact that Thiago and Saif were effectively kidnapped in international waters, is a very serious condemnation of the complicity of these courts in flagrant violations of international law”.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has also confirmed the release and assured that, according to information provided by the Israeli authorities, it will occur “in the coming hours”. Even so, Adalah cannot yet confirm when the deportation will take effect. According to Spanish diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv, the departure from the country would be via the Taba border crossing with Egypt.

Sally Issa, Abukeshek's partner, received the news during the demonstration held this Saturday morning in Barcelona in front of the European Union headquarters, on Passeig de Gràcia, precisely to demand the release of the two detainees and in support of Palestine. "It is a very important moment. We have to keep mobilizing until the end of the genocide, until the blockade of Gaza is broken, and until the Palestinian people are liberated,” Issa expressed emotionally.

News of the release comes on the eve of a new court hearing that was to assess this Sunday a new extension of the detention. This week, an Israeli court had extended the imprisonment of the two activists until Sunday because Israel considered them suspects of serious crimes, such as aiding the enemy in wartime, contact with a foreign agent, belonging to a terrorist organization, and transferring assets in favor of it.

Physical attacks during detention

Adalah also reported that both activists suffered severe mistreatment during their detention, including physical assaults and prolonged isolation. For this reason, the organization asked the court to open an investigation into the conduct of those responsible for guarding them. A week ago, the group already warned in this newspaper that, although internal mechanisms formally exist to investigate these complaints, "according to the organization's experience in cases of serious human rights violations, they are widely considered ineffective and lacking independence." "In practice, they rarely lead to real accountability," they denounced.

Now, Abu Salih has added that, "regarding the investigation into the mistreatment they suffered during detention, there is no news, and Adalah is considering the next legal steps." He also pointed out that, for the moment, "there are no indications of new judicial proceedings against them." During their detention, Abukeshek and Ávila began a hunger strike to protest their imprisonment. According to the defense, Abukeshek even stopped drinking water on the afternoon of May 5.

Meanwhile, the ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla that were not intercepted by Israel have begun to reorganize to continue the journey towards Gaza. This Friday they sailed from Crete to Turkey, where they will make a technical stop and more vessels will join them. The intention is to regroup at least 57 vessels.