Israel extends the detention of Saif Abu Kesheh and Thiago Ávila until next Tuesday, after its Navy intercepted the flotilla with aid for Gaza on Thursday while sailing in international waters. Both, prominent members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, have been transferred to Shikma prison in Ashkelon.
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During the hearing, the prosecution requested a four-day extension, but the court limited it to two days this Sunday. Israeli authorities accuse the activists of collaborating with the enemy in wartime, contacting a foreign agent, belonging to a terrorist organization, and transferring goods to such entities.
Both the Spanish and Brazilian activists have reported mistreatment during their detention, including episodes of violence, isolation, and being held blindfolded for days at sea, according to their defense, led by the organization Adalah. Both have been on hunger strike since their arrest and demand their immediate release.
Hours earlier, several consular representatives had visited the detainees. The Brazilian embassy confirmed that Ávila had visible marks on his face and significant pain, especially in his shoulder. The activist was separated by glass at all times. In conversation with his lawyers, he stated he had been subjected to beatings and degrading treatment during his arrest and transfer.
After the interception of the flotilla, both activists were transferred to Israeli territory from where they were, more than 1,000 kilometers from the coasts of Crete (Greece). They are the only two participants in the flotilla who remain detained.
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Before his arrest, Abu Kesheh had warned, in conversation with EL PAÍS, about the dangers of the mission and the need for international pressure to reduce them. “This is what a criminal government represents,” he said. “These risks exist and we have been very clear with people. The only way to mitigate them is to work externally, so that the political cost of these risks helps prevent them.” In that same conversation, the activist confirmed that his intention was to reach up to the orange line that Israel has imposed for the blockade. A limit that Israel has extended to the Mediterranean.
About twenty European cities have held demonstrations in support of the detainees. In all of them, their immediate release has been demanded. Ávila has communicated that they will not abandon the hunger strike and that he will not accept his release unless it is together with his companion.
The Global Sumud Flotilla denounces that both were transferred to a prison known for housing Palestinian detainees under severe conditions, and calls for urgent diplomatic intervention.
This episode has added more fuel to the confrontation between the Spanish and Israeli governments. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, already denounced last Saturday that the two detentions, one of them of a Spanish citizen, are illegal because they occurred in international waters. The matter will be addressed in an extraordinary urgent plenary session convened in the Congress of Deputies for next Thursday. It has been requested by Albares himself, who has so requested the Chamber, where ordinary plenary sessions were suspended so as not to clash with the Andalusian regional election campaign.
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