Greta Thunberg deported from Israel just a day after she and other activists were detained for trying to sail a cargo ship into the Gaza Strip. The Swedish activist was among a group of protesters who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
Israel’s authorities say they deported Thunberg on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, after she and other activists were intercepted by the Israeli military while trying to sail into Gaza. Some of the activists agreed to be deported, while others, including Thunberg, initially refused to sign a voluntary departure document.
However, on Tuesday morning, Thunberg signed the document and was flown out of Tel Aviv to France, where she would then travel to Sweden. But upon arriving at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, Thunberg accused Israel of acting illegally by kidnapping her and the other activists in international waters and taking them to Israel against their will.
Thunberg also emphasized that a genocide is happening in Gaza, where people are suffering from systematic starvation due to Israel’s blockade. She said food, medicine, and water have become essential items that need to be brought into the small territory.
When asked why she was released while others were still being held, Thunberg said she was unsure. She and some other activists had signed a document because they wanted to leave as soon as possible, but they did not admit to entering Israel illegally. Others, however, had not signed the document.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barro earlier posted on X that six French citizens were detained by Israeli authorities, one of whom had agreed to leave voluntarily, while the others would go through Israel’s deportation process. The French government did not specify who the six individuals were, but several media outlets reported that they included French Member of the European Parliament Rim Hassan, Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad, and Yanis Mohamdi from the online media outlet “Blast”, who were all on the cargo ship with Thunberg.
In addition to the French and Swedish nationals, the ship, named “Madleen”, also carried citizens from Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey.
Source: bbc