Greta Thunberg faces the prospect of being thrown into a terror cell as Israel prepares harsh detention plans while the climate activist launches her second Gaza-bound “Freedom Flotilla” today.
The 22-year-old environmental campaigner is setting sail from Barcelona with the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to deliver desperately needed aid to Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip, who have been pushed to the brink of famine by Israel’s ongoing military operations.
Thunberg will make the perilous journey alongside Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham and Ada Colau, Barcelona’s former mayor, as part of a growing convoy of activists determined to break through Israel’s blockade. The news comes as the Houthis issued a statement after their prime minister was killed by Israel.
The move comes just weeks after the Swedish activist was detained in international waters during her first attempt to reach Gaza in June, when Israeli forces boarded her vessel and arrested her along with 11 other passengers.
Detention threat looms
Now Israel’s hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is reportedly preparing to present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a chilling plan to lock up flotilla activists in “terrorist-level” conditions at the notorious Ktzi’ot and Damon detention centres.
According to Israel Hayom, the draconian measures would also see dozens of vessels seized and repurposed to create a “maritime force for police operations” to strengthen Israel’s naval blockade.
Sources close to Ben-Gvir delivered a stark warning to potential activists, saying: “Following several weeks at Ktzi’ot and Damon, they’ll be sorry about the time they arrived here. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt.”
Massive support for mission
Speaking ahead of her departure from Barcelona port, Thunberg told Iranian Press TV that the flotillas aim to “deliver humanitarian aid and break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza and open up a people’s humanitarian corridor”.
The activist revealed that more than 26,000 people have signed up to join the mission to break the siege on Gaza, with dozens of ships expected to set sail from Tunisia and other Mediterranean ports on September 4.
“This project is part of a global uprising of people standing up… when our governments fail to step up, the people will take their place, and that their atrocities and their complicity in the genocide in Gaza right now.. is not something that we can stand for,” she declared.
Defending her mission
In a promotional video for her latest Gaza attempt, Thunberg stressed the mission shouldn’t be necessary, saying: “It should not have to be up to us. A mission like this should not have to exist.
“It is the responsibility of countries, of our governments and elected officials to act to try to uphold international law, to prevent war crimes, to prevent genocide. That is their legal duty to do. And they are failing to do so, thereby betraying Palestinians but also all of humanity.”
Before setting off, she hit back at accusations of anti-Semitism, telling Sky News this weekend: “It is not antisemitic to say that we should not be bombing people, that one should not be living in occupation, that everyone should have the right to live in freedom and dignity, no matter who you are.”
Dangerous precedent
The Gaza blockade has remained in place since 2007, with Israel consistently intercepting boats attempting to breach it. The dangers became tragically clear in 2010 when Israeli special forces raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, killing eight Turkish activists and an American-Turkish teenager.
Despite these risks, Thunberg said she was more concerned by the “silence of the world” about the unfolding crisis in Gaza.
“I’m terrified to see that we seem to have lost all the humanity that we have, and there seems to be no compassion left in the world amongst the vast majority of people who are able to sit on the couch and watch the genocide unfold that I am terrified for,” she added.
Isael prepared to act
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has made clear it will maintain its position, stating: “The IDF enforces the security naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and is prepared for a wide range of scenarios, which it will act upon in accordance with the directives of the political echelon.”
During Thunberg’s previous attempt in June, when she set sail from Catania, Italy, aboard the vessel Madleen with 11 pro-Palestine campaigners, IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin warned: “For this case as well, we are prepared. We have gained experience in recent years, and we will act accordingly.”
After intercepting the June flotilla, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs mocked what it called the activists’ “selfie yacht” carrying 12 “celebrity” campaigners, saying the “tiny amount of aid” on board would be “transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels”.
The ministry even shared an image of Thunberg accepting bread from an Israeli soldier after she had complained about being “kidnapped” by Israeli forces.