Omar Faiad, Baptiste Andre, Greta Thunberg, and Sergio Toribio agreed to immediate deportation.

Eight of the 12 passengers aboard the Freedom Flotilla’s ship Madleen, intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on Monday, will appear before an Israeli judge on Wednesday to determine their possible deportation.

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Loubna Tuma, an Israeli lawyer with the flotilla’s legal team, said the four individuals who agreed to immediate deportation are: French journalist Omar Faiad, French activist Baptiste Andre, Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg—who flew from Tel Aviv to France—and Spanish activist Sergio Toribio, who was transferred to Barcelona on another flight.

The Madleen passengers were taken to Israel’s Ashdod port late Monday, arriving around 9 p.m. local time (6 p.m. GMT) under Israeli escort, then transported to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. There, they were given the opportunity to sign a document acknowledging they had entered Israel illegally and would be deported within 72 hours.

The four individuals signed the paperwork, prompting authorities to begin deportation proceedings. The remaining eight refused and were detained, taken to a prison in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, and will appear before a local judge on Tuesday. Under Israeli law, they are currently classified as detainees.

However, their defense team argues they were effectively kidnapped by Israeli authorities, as their ship was intercepted 102 miles off Gaza’s coast in international waters, where Israel has no jurisdiction.

On Tuesday, the Immigration Detention Review Court will hear the defense’s argument that since the activists never entered Israeli territory, their interception and arrest were unlawful.

“Based on our experience, the judge will likely order their deportation,” Tuma said, calling it “very positive” that the hearing is happening quickly, as Israeli law requires a judicial review within 96 hours.

The activists facing court proceedings are: French nationals Rima Hassan (a Palestinian-origin member of the European Parliament), Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi and Reva Viard; Dutch activist Mark van Rennes; Turkish activist Suayb Ordu; Brazilian activist Thiago Avila; and German activist Yasemin Acar.

The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla, was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in an effort to break Israel’s blockade restricting food, supplies and fuel from reaching the enclave.

On March 2, Israel imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, which ended on May 19 with the entry of a limited number of trucks, mostly carrying flour and other food items. However, international organizations say the aid that has reached Gaza since then remains woefully inadequate for its 2.1 million residents, who endured near-starvation conditions for nearly three months.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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