Greta Thunberg alleges harsh treatment in Israeli custody after Gaza flotilla arrest
The environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg has informed Swedish officials that she is experiencing harsh treatment in Israeli custody following her detention and removal from a flotilla delivering aid to Gaza, according to correspondence reviewed by the Guardian.
According to the correspondence, another detainee reported that Israeli forces allegedly took photographs where Thunberg was forced to hold flags. The origins of these flags are unknown.
In an email sent by the Swedish foreign ministry to people close to Thunberg and obtained by the Guardian, an official who visited the activist in prison said she claimed she was detained in a cell infested with bedbugs, and received insufficient food and water.
“The embassy has been able to meet with Greta,” the email states. “She reported dehydration. She received inadequate amounts of both water and food. She also mentioned developing rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She described experiencing harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for extended periods on hard surfaces.”
Another detainee reportedly informed another embassy that they had seen her [Thunberg] being forced to hold flags while photos were taken. She wondered whether images of her had been distributed,” the Swedish ministry’s official added.
The allegation was supported by at least two other members of the flotilla detained by Israeli forces and released on Saturday.
“They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair in front of us, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” the Turkish activist Ersin Çelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.
Lorenzo D’Agostino, a journalist and another flotilla participant, said upon his return to Istanbul that Thunberg was “wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy” – a scene described with disbelief and anger by those who witnessed it.
Thunberg is among 437 activists, parliamentarians, and lawyers who were part of the Global Sumud flotilla, a coalition of more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid aiming to breach Israel’s 16-year maritime blockade of Gaza.
Between Thursday and Friday, Israeli forces intercepted all the boats and arrested every crew member onboard. Most are being held at Ketziot, also known as Ansar III, a high-security prison in the Negev desert used primarily to detain Palestinian security prisoners, many of whom Israel accuses of involvement in militant or terrorist activities.
In the past, activists detained by Israel were not criminally prosecuted and instead their presence was treated as an immigration matter.
According to lawyers from the NGO Adalah, the rights of the crew members have been “systematically violated”, with activists denied water, sanitation, medication, and immediate access to their legal representatives “in clear breach of their fundamental rights to due process, impartial trial, and legal representation”.
The Italian legal team representing the flotilla confirmed that those detained were left “for hours without food or water – until late last night”, except for “a packet of crisps handed to Greta and shown to the cameras”. Lawyers also reported instances of verbal and physical abuse.
During a visit to Ashdod on Thursday night, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was filmed referring to the activists as “terrorists” as he stood in front of them.
“These are the terrorists of the flotilla,” he said, speaking in Hebrew and pointing at dozens of people sitting on the ground. His spokesperson confirmed the video was filmed at Ashdod port on Thursday night.
Some activists were heard shouting: “Free Palestine.”
Ben-Gvir has previously called for the activists to be jailed rather than deported.
After their arrest, the flotilla’s legal team expressed concern over the treatment crew members might face, particularly those who had previously been detained by Israeli authorities after attempts to break Gaza’s naval blockade. This marks the second time Thunberg has been arrested alongside other flotilla members, following a similar attempt earlier this year ending with the activists’ arrest and deportation.
Baptiste André, a French doctor who was on one of the flotilla’s boats in June, told reporters upon his return to France that he witnessed Israeli border agents mock and deliberately deprive passengers of sleep, particularly Thunberg.
The Swedish official mentioned in the email that Thunberg was asked by Israeli authorities to sign a document.
“She expressed uncertainty about what the document meant and did not want to sign anything she did not understand,” the email states. The Swedish ministry’s official wrote that Thunberg has had access to legal counsel.
Adalah stated earlier about the legal process that while Israeli authorities would have records of repeat participants in aid flotillas, activists like Thunberg were generally treated the same as first-time participants, subject to short-term detention and deportation.
The Guardian contacted the Israel Prison Service, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the Israeli ministry for foreign affairs but none have yet responded to a request for comment.
The Swedish foreign ministry said its embassy officials had visited nine detained Swedes on Friday: “The Swedish embassy in Tel Aviv remains in contact with Israeli authorities to stress the importance of swift processing and the possibility of returning home to Sweden. Based on discussions with detained individuals, the importance of addressing individual medical needs was also emphasised.”
“Moreover, the embassy stressed that food and clean water must be provided immediately, and that all detainees must be given access to Israeli legal counsel, if desired.”
The Israeli embassy stated the allegations were “complete lies”. “All detainees from the Hamas-Sumud provocation were given access to water, food, and toilets; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights, including access to medical care, were fully upheld.”
“Israel is and will remain a state governed by the rule of law, committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals in accordance with international standards,” it said.
Deputy Editor
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