Israel detains Gaza flotilla activists

Israeli police forced activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel in rows with their hands tied behind their backs on May 20 after Israeli forces intercepted the convoy in international waters, according to Reuters and video published by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The activists had been brought to Ashdod after the flotilla was stopped on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The footage drew criticism from foreign governments and from members of Israel’s own government, according to Reuters. By May 21, Israel said it had deported foreign activists from the convoy, while rights group Adalah said detainees were being moved for removal. ### How did the activists end up in Israeli custody? Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla on May 19 as it sailed toward Gaza from southern Turkey, in what organizers described as another attempt to deliver aid and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave. Reuters reported the convoy included activists from 40 countries on 50 vessels. Israel has said its naval blockade of Gaza is lawful. (usnews.com) Ashdod was where Israeli authorities took the detainees after the interception. Adalah, an Israeli rights group, said the activists were detained there, Reuters reported. Al Jazeera said the Global Sumud Flotilla later reported that at least 87 people detained from the convoy had begun a hunger strike in protest. (streetinsider.com) ### What was in the video that triggered the backlash? Itamar Ben-Gvir posted video showing detainees kneeling on the ground with their hands bound behind their backs while he looked on, Reuters reported. The footage also prompted criticism inside Israel’s coalition, according to Reuters and other reports surfaced in search results. (streetinsider.com) Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, criticized Ben-Gvir’s conduct, Al Jazeera reported, saying the minister had “betrayed dignity” in the video. Al Jazeera said that rebuke came a day after the United States sanctioned flotilla organizers. ### Which governments reacted publicly? (usnews.com) France, Italy and the Netherlands were among the countries that summoned Israeli envoys over the treatment of their citizens, according to Al Jazeera and the Times of Israel search results. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also criticized the detentions, asking what legal basis Israel had to seize third-country vessels in international waters, Al Jazeera reported. (aljazeera.com) Portugal’s Foreign Ministry also condemned Ben-Gvir’s conduct, Al Jazeera reported. The diplomatic reaction widened as images of the detainees circulated and as governments sought information on their nationals. ### Why did Washington sanction flotilla organizers while criticizing Ben-Gvir? (aljazeera.com) The U.S. Treasury sanctioned four activists involved in flotilla missions, Al Jazeera reported on May 20. The report said Washington accused the organizers of links to a group it described as controlled by Hamas. Al Jazeera reported that Huckabee’s criticism of Ben-Gvir came after those sanctions, producing two separate U.S. messages in the same episode: punitive action against organizers and public criticism of the treatment of detainees. (aljazeera.com) ### What happens to the detainees now? Israel said on May 21 that all foreign activists from what it called the “PR flotilla” had been deported, according to Al Jazeera. (aljazeera.com) NBC News reported some activists were being deported to Turkey as the backlash continued. Adalah said most international activists were in transit to a civilian airport near Eilat for deportation, according to France 24’s live coverage. (aljazeera.com) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the activists would be deported “as soon as possible,” that report said. (aljazeera.com) Israel’s next public accounting is likely to come through its foreign ministry and court or detention records as deportations are completed. Adalah has continued to track the detainees’ status and transfers. (aljazeera.com) (france24.com)