Israel deports 4 from intercepted Gaza-bound Madleen; others held
Israel has deported Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and three others, a day after seizing the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship on which she was sailing in a crew of 12.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thunberg flew out of Tel Aviv early on Tuesday, bound for Sweden via France, and released her photos on the flight. Upon arriving in Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, Thunberg told reporters she and her companions had been 'kidnapped in international waters'.
Al Jazeera's Natacha Butler, who was among the journalists interviewing Thunberg at the Paris airport, said, 'She clearly looked very tired and was in the same clothes she was wearing when she was detained … This has been quite a difficult number of hours for her.'
While Thunberg said she was 'OK', she described being treated in a 'dehumanising way' by Israeli authorities, said Butler.
However, she emphasised that her brief detention was nothing compared with what Palestinians regularly endure under Israeli occupation, Butler added.
According to the legal rights group Adalah, which is representing Thunberg and the other activists and a journalist who sailed in the Madleen vessel towards Gaza, she was among four crew members who accepted deportation.
The remaining crew members will remain in Israeli custody before appearing before judicial authorities.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said five of those subject to forced deportation proceedings are French nationals who have received consular support. One of them is French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, who refused to sign a document stating she had entered Israeli territory illegally, according to French lawmaker Clemence Guette.
Large rallies have taken place in France and other countries to protest against Israel's interception of the Madleen and the crew's detention.
It was carrying humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, to Gaza, in a bid to raise awareness about the dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
On Tuesday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirmed the status of those who were aboard the Madleen. (Agencies)
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