An Israeli court on Sunday extended by two days the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, who were brought to Israel for questioning, according to a rights group representing them.
The flotilla, comprising more than 50 vessels, had set sail from France, Spain, and Italy with the stated aim of breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza and delivering supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory. Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters off Greece early on Thursday. Israel stated it had removed approximately 175 activists, two of whom were subsequently taken to Israel for questioning.
Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon on Sunday. AFP footage showed the two being escorted into the courtroom, with Avila’s hands cuffed behind his back and Abu Keshek’s feet shackled.
Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP, “The court extended their detention by two days.” Adalah reported that the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offenses committed by the pair, including “assisting the enemy during wartime” and “membership in and providing services to a terrorist organization.”
However, Adalah’s lawyers challenged the state’s jurisdiction, arguing against the “unlawful abduction” of the two activists in international waters. Its lawyers informed the court that Avila and Abu Keshek had testified to “severe physical abuse amounting to torture, including being beaten and held in isolation and blindfolded for days at sea.” No formal charges were filed against the two, Adalah stated.
Lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih told journalists after the hearing, “We argued that… they were part of a humanitarian mission that aimed to provide humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza, and not to any other organization, whether terrorist or not.” She added, “We deny all the accusations that were presented… and demand these two men be released immediately.”
Spain’s government called for Abu Keshek’s “immediate release,” its foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP, noting that the Spanish consul had accompanied Abu Keshek to the hearing. Adalah’s lawyers had met the two men at Ashkelon’s Shikma Prison on Saturday. They reported that Avila recounted being “subjected to extreme brutality” by Israeli forces during the seizure of the vessels, stating he was “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice.” Abu Keshek was also “hand-tied and blindfolded… and forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure” until reaching Israel.
Israel’s foreign ministry stated that the pair were affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), a group accused by Washington of “clandestinely acting on behalf of” the Palestinian militant group Hamas. It added that Abu Keshek was a leading PCPA member and that Avila was also linked to the group and “suspected of illegal activity.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla’s first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza last year garnered worldwide attention before being intercepted by Israeli forces off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza. Avila was one of the organizers of that flotilla, which was also intercepted by Israeli forces, leading to the arrest and expulsion of crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid entirely.
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