Israel summons the Spanish diplomatic representative for the police charges against the Basque activists of the flotilla

BarcelonaIsrael seeks to take advantage of the Basque police's charges against flotilla activists to delegitimize Spain. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Spanish chargé d'affaires in the country, Francisca Pedrós, this Sunday for a "clarification" meeting regarding the Ertzaintza's actions against members of the Gaza Flotilla upon their arrival in Bilbao.

The ministry points out "the hypocrisy of the Spanish government," which, it says, "sends provocateurs to Israel and then condemns Israel for its legal actions to reinforce the legal naval blockade (to Gaza), while Spanish authorities use serious violence against these same Flotilla participants," according to a statement.

The arrival in Bilbao of the Basque members of the Global Summud Gaza Flotilla ended with four people —three of whom were newly arrived activists— detained for serious disobedience, resistance, and assaulting an authority figure during riots at Loui Airport on Saturday morning.

The incident began when a relative of the six Basque members approached them, and an Ertzaintza member, the Basque police, blocked his path. The confrontations resulted in police charges: as can be seen in various images shared on social media, Ertzaintza agents used batons against the newly arrived activists. The authorities have justified their actions by stating that passengers' departure was being prevented and claiming that the people waiting for the activists in the airport lobby had assaulted the security cordon.

The Israeli government has taken advantage of the opportunity to launch a jab at the Spanish executive, with whom it has a tense relationship. "We demand an explanation from the Spanish Government regarding its treatment of the Flotilla anarchists," the Israeli Foreign Ministry account wrote on X sarcastically, following the international controversy triggered by the detention of activists in international waters and by the taunts of the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben. The publication was accompanied by a video showing Ertzaintza agents using batons against the Basque activists upon their arrival at the airport.

According to the Basque Department of Security, the Ertzaintza's Internal Affairs Directorate has launched an investigation to verify whether the agents' actions comply with current instructions. However, many entities have issued messages of protest, starting with the Global Sumud Flotilla, which criticized that "what should have been a moment of family relief and comfort after such a distressing experience was interrupted by even more brutality".

EH Bildu and Podemos have also condemned the police action. "The violence exercised against an action that symbolizes solidarity and the defense of human rights has no justification," claimed the Basque formation. The arrival of the Basque activists was initially scheduled for yesterday, but they delayed the trip due to the hospitalization of two of the members for injuries sustained after being captured by Israeli forces while en route to Gaza.