Latest news with #EmmaFourreau
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Activist boat Handala seized off Gaza brought to port of Ashdod
Activist boat Handala seized off Gaza brought to port of Ashdod Activists were on a peaceful mission to break through Zionists' illegal blockade on Gaza TEL AVIV: Zionist forces brought the pro-Palestinian activist boat Handala into the port of Ashdod on Sunday, after seizing the vessel in international waters and detaining the crew, an AFP journalist saw. Campaigners from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had attempted to breach a Zionist naval blockade of the Palestinian territory of Gaza, but were intercepted late Saturday. The legal rights center Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod and had been allowed to speak to 19 members of the 21-strong international crew, which included two French parliamentarians and two Al-Jazeera journalists. The remaining two of those detained were dual US and Zionist citizens and had been transferred to police custody, Adalah said. 'After 12 hours at sea, following the unlawful interception of the Handala, Zionist authorities confirmed the vessel's arrival at Ashdod port,' said the group, set up to campaign for the rights of Zionist entity's Arab population. 'Adalah reiterates that the activists aboard the Handala were part of a peaceful civilian mission to break through Zionist entity's illegal blockade on Gaza. The vessel was intercepted in international waters and their detention constitutes a clear violation of international law.' Earlier, the Zionist foreign ministry said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering the coastal waters off the territory of Gaza. 'The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Zionist entity. All passengers are safe,' it said. Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video streamed live from the Handala showed Zionist troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The ship had been on course to try to break a Zionist naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents. The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on a hunger strike if the Zionist army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. On board were activists from 10 countries, including two French MPs from the left-wing France Unbowed party, Emma Fourreau and Gabrielle Cathala. There are also American, European and Arab activists among those detained. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Zionist military in international waters on June 9 and towed to Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Zionist entity. – AFP
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Israel seeking to deport activists detained on Gaza-bound boat: NGO - War on Gaza
Israel is seeking to deport pro-Palestinian activists who were detained and brought to shore when their Gaza-bound boat was intercepted by the navy, a legal aid centre advising them said on Sunday. The 21 activists from 10 countries were taken into custody late Saturday when Israel intercepted the Handala in international waters. The aid boat set sail with the stated aim of breaching Israel's deadly humanitarian blockade of Gaza, now approaching its fifth month. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the voyage, described the cargo as life-saving aid for Gaza's 2.4 million people, suffering under Israeli blockade imposed on 2 March. More than 100 aid organisations have already warned that "mass starvation" was spreading across the Palestinian territory amid health system collapse caused by Israel's blockade, with severe shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel. Following its interception, the Handala and its crew from the FFC were brought to the port of Ashdod in Israel, where, according to the legal rights centre Adalah, all but two -- a pair of dual US-Israeli nationals -- were being held under Israeli immigration law. The Handala's crew have said they would immediately begin a hunger strike if detained. The interception in international waters marked the third time this year Israeli forces have stopped Freedom Flotilla vessels attempting to break Israel's blockade by delivering aid to Gaza by sea. "Israel is handling the custody of the volunteers as though they had entered the country illegally -- even though they were forcibly taken from international waters and brought into Israel against their will," Adalah said in a statement after its lawyers were allowed to meet the detainees. "The authorities presented them with two options: either agree to so-called 'voluntary deportation', or remain in detention and appear before a tribunal, to have their continued detention pending deportation reviewed," the statement continued. According to Adalah, three detainees -- an Italian, an American and a French member of parliament, Gabrielle Cathala -- agreed to be deported and are expected to leave Israel in the coming hours. The US-Israeli nationals were interrogated by Israeli police and released, while 12 international activists -- including another left-wing French MP, Emma Fourreau -- refused to sign voluntary deportation orders and are still in Israeli custody pending legal hearings. The remaining four detainees, including a pair of Al Jazeera journalists, have retained private counsel. 'Peaceful' mission Adalah reiterated that the activists were engaged in a "peaceful civilian mission", and maintained that both their detention and the Israeli blockade of Gaza were illegal. The Israeli foreign ministry has said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering coastal waters off Gaza, noting after its intecerption that all the vessel's "passengers are safe". Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video streamed live from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The ship had been on course to try to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of life-saving humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents. The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on hunger strike if the Israeli military intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on 9 June and towed to Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Israel seeking to deport activists detained on Gaza-bound boat: NGO
PORT OF ASHDOD: Israel is seeking to deport pro-Palestinian activists who were detained and brought to shore when their Gaza-bound boat was intercepted by the navy, a legal aid centre advising them said on Sunday. The 21 activists from 10 countries were taken into custody late Saturday when the Handala was boarded in international waters as it attempted to breach an Israeli maritime blockade of the Palestinian territory. The Handala and its crew from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) were brought to the port of Ashdod in Israel, where, according to the legal rights centre Adalah, all but two – a pair of dual US-Israeli nationals – were being held under Israeli immigration law. New Gaza-bound aid boat leaves Italy 'Israel is handling the custody of the volunteers as though they had entered the country illegally – even though they were forcibly taken from international waters and brought into Israel against their will,' Adalah said in a statement after its lawyers were allowed to meet the detainees. 'The authorities presented them with two options: either agree to so-called 'voluntary deportation', or remain in detention and appear before a tribunal, to have their continued detention pending deportation reviewed,' the statement continued. According to Adalah, three detainees – an Italian, an American and a French member of parliament, Gabrielle Cathala – agreed to be deported and are expected to leave Israel in the coming hours. The US-Israeli nationals were interrogated by Israeli police and released, while 12 international activists – including another left-wing French MP, Emma Fourreau – refused to sign voluntary deportation orders and are still in Israeli custody pending legal hearings. The remaining four detainees, including a pair of Al Jazeera journalists, have retained private counsel. 'Peaceful' mission Adalah reiterated that the activists were engaged in a 'peaceful civilian mission', and maintained that both their detention and the Israeli blockade of Gaza were illegal. The Israeli foreign ministry has said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering coastal waters off Gaza, noting after its intecerption that all the vessel's 'passengers are safe'. Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video streamed live from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The ship had been on course to try to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents. The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on hunger strike if the Israeli military intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on June 9 and towed to Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel.
Leaders
2 days ago
- Politics
- Leaders
Israeli Forces Seize Activist Boat Handala, Detain Crew in Ashdod
Israeli forces seized the pro-Palestinian activist boat Handala in international waters and brought it to the port of Ashdod on Sunday. Israel intercepted the vessel late Saturday while attempting to breach an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, with the crew, consisting of 21 international activists, remains detained. Campaigners from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, as Israeli authorities confirmed they stopped the boat to prevent its entry into Gaza's coastal waters. Despite the interception, the vessel was safely navigated to Israel, and all passengers are reported safe. Legal Efforts and Israel Reaction The legal rights center Adalah informed AFP that its lawyers arrived in Ashdod and requested to speak with the detained crew, that includes two French parliamentarians and two Al Jazeera journalists. 'After 12 hours at sea, following the unlawful interception of the Handala, Israeli authorities confirmed the vessel's arrival at Ashdod port,' stated Adalah, which advocates for the rights of Israel's Arab population. Despite repeated requests, Israeli authorities denied Adalah's lawyers access to the detained activists for legal consultation. Adalah emphasized that the activists aboard the Handala participated in a peaceful civilian mission to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza. They argued that the interception in international waters constitutes a clear violation of international law. Earlier, the Israeli foreign ministry revealed that the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering Gaza's coastal waters, confirming that, 'The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. All passengers are safe.' Live video streamed from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel, with online trackers indicating that the ship was in international waters west of Gaza. The Handala aimed to deliver a small quantity of humanitarian aid to Palestinian residents in the territory. Crew Threatens Hunger Strike Amid Detention Before their capture, the Handala's crew announced on X that they would initiate a hunger strike if the Israeli army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. The crew included activists from ten countries, featuring two French MPs from the left-wing France Unbowed party, Emma Fourreau and Gabrielle Cathala, in addition to American, European, and Arab activists were among those detained. This incident follows a previous interception of another Freedom Flotilla boat, the Madleen, by the Israeli military on 9 June. The Madleen, which carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, was also towed to Ashdod, then ultimately, Israeli authorities expelled the activists. Short link : Post Views: 6
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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Israeli military tows activist vessel Handala to Ashdod Port, legal access denied
The activist vessel, Handala. had been on course to try to break an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents read more Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video live streamed from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. Reuters Israeli forces brought the pro-Palestinian activist boat Handala into the port of Ashdod on Sunday, after seizing the vessel in international waters and detaining the crew, an AFP journalist saw. Campaigners from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had attempted to breach an Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian territory of Gaza, but were intercepted late Saturday. The legal rights centre Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod and had demanded to speak to the 21-strong international crew, which includes two French parliamentarians and two Al Jazeera journalists. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'After 12 hours at sea, following the unlawful interception of the Handala, Israeli authorities confirmed the vessel's arrival at Ashdod port,' said the group, set up to campaign for the rights of Israel's Arab population. 'Despite repeated demands, Israeli authorities have refused to allow Adalah's lawyers access to the detained activists to provide legal consultation,' it continued. 'Adalah reiterates that the activists aboard the Handala were part of a peaceful civilian mission to break through Israel's illegal blockade on Gaza. The vessel was intercepted in international waters and their detention constitutes a clear violation of international law.' Earlier, the Israeli foreign ministry said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering the coastal waters off the territory of Gaza. 'The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. All passengers are safe,' it said. Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video live streamed from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The ship had been on course to try to break an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on a hunger strike if the Israeli army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. On board were activists from 10 countries, including two French MPs form the left-wing France Unbowed party, Emma Fourreau and Gabrielle Cathala. There are also American, European and Arab activists among those detained. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on June 9 and towed to Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel.
