Dutch activists detained by Israel this fall while attempting to breach the Gaza maritime blockade are refusing to pay the bill for their flight home, saying they should not be charged after “risking their lives” on the trip.
“A genocide is taking place,” a spokeswoman told the Netherlands’ RTL News website, adding: “People are risking their lives to go there. They ended up in jail, and then the Dutch government sends them a bill.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague told the news outlet that its embassy in Tel Aviv booked return flights for the Dutch nationals “as a rare exception.” According to a spokesperson, it was made clear to the activists that these costs must be reimbursed, “because the ministry does not provide financial assistance as part of consular support.”
Activist Roos Ykema told the local NOS public broadcaster that she was billed 526 euro ($610) for a flight via Madrid, but said she would not be paying the cost of the plane ticket as she was “kidnapped” and “forcibly deported” from Israel. “I’m not going to contribute to that,” she added.
In invoices seen by NOS, the Foreign Ministry states that the activists received consular assistance during their detention in Israel and that they told embassy staff they wanted to go home “as soon as possible.”
“The ministry informed your family members/friends that these costs must be reimbursed, since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not provide financial assistance as part of consular support,” it adds.
Israeli naval forces intercepted 41 vessels on Oct. 1 and nine more the next week, detaining activists and seizing boats that combined carried less than five tons of humanitarian supplies—an amount authorities said underscored the flotilla’s real aim: generating global headlines.
The “Global Sumud Flotilla,” which was intercepted by Israel in early October, represented an unprecedented operational challenge to the navy, with many boats owned or financed by the Hamas terror group.
The declared objective of the Global Sumud Flotilla (sumud means “steadfastness” in Arabic) was to “break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide.”
Jerusalem maintains that its naval blockade on the enclave, imposed on Jan. 3, 2009, is compatible with international law. It aims to prevent weapons, terrorists and funds from entering or exiting Gaza by sea.
Swiss participants in the flotilla have also declined to pay invoices for consular assistance provided in them during their detention in Israel, the country’s RTS public broadcaster reported on Nov. 26.
The 19 Swiss sailors were reportedly billed between 300 and 1,047 Swiss francs ($373-$1,303) for “interventions” with Israeli authorities, visits in prison of varying lengths and assistance with returning home. They were given 30 days to pay, but told RTS they would be appealing.
