Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other anti-Israel activists were expected to depart from Spain and other countries on Sunday in what Reuters described as the largest Gaza flotilla to date, in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of the Strip.
It is the second protest flotilla for the Swedish climate activist, who has pivoted to anti-Israel extremism since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. She will be joined by far-left Portuguese parliamentarian Mariana Mortágua and activists from 44 countries, who are departing from Barcelona, Sicily, Greece and Tunisia.
The Global Sumud (“steadfastness” in Arabic) Flotilla is described by the Barcelona Radical Book Fair, which is broadcasting the departure live, as “history’s largest international civil humanitarian movement to break the siege on Gaza, open a maritime humanitarian corridor and denounce the genocide against the Palestinians.”
A restricted meeting is scheduled for Sunday at the official residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the operational strategy that Jerusalem will deploy against the more than 200 people participating in the flotilla, Israel Hayom reported. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and security personnel will participate.
According to the news outlet, Ben-Gvir will propose to Netanyahu tougher measures as part of a deterrent strategy to prevent future flotillas. This strategy was reportedly formulated at a preparatory meeting hosted by the minister on Aug. 28 with top police and Prison Service personnel.
The strategy includes “detaining the activists in terrorist-level conditions at Ktzi’ot and Damon (for females) facilities—lacking television or radio, without superior-quality meals, and involving prolonged custody rather than merely overnight.”
The report continues: “The foundation for custody in these conditions, it was stated during the meeting, is their arrival to violate a restricted military area, plus creating documentation on each individual using photographs with terrorists and links to terror groups.”
In addition, as part of the plan, Israel will seize the vessels and turn them into police assets to establish a maritime force for police operations, which a judicial assessment has already shown would allow seizure of these types of boats.
Israel Hayom cited sources close to Ben-Gvir as saying that the “gentle” handling of previous protest flotillas failed to deter activists from trying again. The sources added that if the strategy is approved, “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.”
In June, Thunberg was detained by the Israeli Navy during an attempt to reach Gaza aboard the Madleen, and subsequently deported.
Of the 12 people aboard the Madleen, four, including Thunberg, agreed to be deported from Israel voluntarily, while all were banned from the Jewish state for 100 years, according to their attorneys.
Upon touching down at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris, Thunberg held a press conference in which she claimed she had been “kidnapped” by Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit told JNS on Aug. 11 that the military “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.”
