Eight Freedom Flotilla crew members refused deportation from Israel

Brussels – There is also the French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan among the eight members of the crew of the Freedom Flotilla who refused to sign deportation papers from Israel and who are now in detention. “They will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation,” the Tel Aviv Foreign Ministry said. Already flying to Sweden, however, is activist Greta Thunberg.

This morning, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced that only one of the six French citizens who left aboard the Madleen had accepted voluntary departure and “should return today.” The other five “will be subject to forced expulsion.” Consuls from their home countries met them at the Ben Gurion airport.

According to the Palestinian legal aid organization in Israel, Adalah, the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of unarmed activists carrying humanitarian aid “violates international law.” Adalah promised it would “take legal action to ensure the safety and release of the activists.” Israel, on the other hand, claims that the maritime zone off the Gaza coast “is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade, in accordance with international law.”