8 Gaza boat activists, including French MEP, remain in detention in Israel — rights group

Eight of the 12 pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists from the Madleen boat, which sought to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza this week, are still being held in detention, the Adalah civil rights organization representing the activists states.

Late last night, the Detention Review Tribunal, which reviews decisions of the Interior Ministry’s border control administration, upheld orders to keep the eight international volunteers from the Madleen boat in custody until they are deported.

Adalah’s lawyers argued in the tribunal’s hearing that the law under which the activists have been detained — illegal entry into Israel — is inapplicable to the Madleen activists since “they neither sought to enter Israel nor intended to enter Israeli territorial waters.”

The organization says that the Madleen was sailing in international waters and intended to directly enter “the internationally recognized territorial waters of the State of Palestine, into Gaza,” when it was intercepted by Israeli naval forces and towed to the Port of Ashdod.

The tribunal dismissed Adalah’s arguments, asserting that the naval blockade on Gaza is lawful under Israeli law and that the activists knowingly attempted to breach it.

A lawyer for Adalah says the organization expects the activists to be deported in short order.

The individuals being held in Givon Prison in Ramle are Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament; Suayb Ordu from Turkey; Mark van Rennes from The Netherlands; Pascal Maurieras, Reva Viard and Yanis Mhamdi from France; Thiago Avila from Brazil; and Yasemin Acar from Germany.

The Foreign Ministry does not immediately respond to a request for comment on when they would be deported.

Four activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, waived their right to be brought before a judge yesterday and were deported immediately. Thunberg is now back in Sweden.