Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 22, is understood to have been subjected to poor conditions and mistreatement after she was detained and arrested in Isreal following an aid flotilla mission to Gaza
Greta Thunberg is understood to have been subjected to cruel treatment in Israeli custody after her detention and removal from a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.
It remains unclear whether the environmental campaigner is still being held, but an email sent by Sweden’s foreign ministry to people close to her describes allegations of poor conditions and mistreatement following her arrest. According to the email, a Swedish embassy official who visited Thunberg in prison reported that she said she had been held in a cell infested with bed bugs, given too little food and water, and left sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.
“The embassy has been able to meet with Greta,” the email says. “She informed of dehydration. She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food.
“She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.”
“Another detainee reportedly told another embassy that they had seen her [Thunberg] being forced to hold flags while pictures were taken. She wondered whether images of her had been distributed,” the Swedish ministry’s official added.
The claims in the email, seen by the Guardian, were corroborated by at least two other members of the flotilla, who were detained by Israeli forces and released on Saturday. “They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” Turkish activist Ersin Çelik – also a participant in the Sumud flotilla – told Anadolu news agency.
Journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino, another participant, said upon returning to Istanbul that Thunberg was “wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy” – a scene that witnesses recounted with disbelief and outrage. Thunberg was among 437 activists, parliamentarians and lawyers who joined the Global Sumud flotilla, a coalition of more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid in an attempt to breach Israel’s 16-year blockade of Gaza.
Israeli forces intercepted all the boats on Thursday, detaining every crew member. Most were said to have been taken to Ketziot, or Ansar III, a high-security prison in the Negev desert that mainly holds Palestinian security prisoners.
In previous flotilla cases, detainees were not criminally prosecuted but treated as immigration violators. Lawyers from the NGO Adalah said crew members’ rights had been “systematically violated”, with activists denied water, sanitation, medication and legal access “in clear breach of their fundamental rights to due process, impartial trial and legal representation”.
The flotilla’s Italian legal team said detainees were left “for hours without food or water – until late last night”, apart from “a packet of crisps handed to Greta and shown to the cameras”. Lawyers also cited instances of verbal and physical abuse.
At Ashdod on Thursday, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was filmed pointing to the activists and calling them “terrorists”. He said in Hebrew: “These are the terrorists of the flotilla,” as he stood before a group of detainees. His spokesperson confirmed the footage was taken that night. Some activists were heard shouting: “Free Palestine.” Ben-Gvir has previously called for the activists to be jailed rather than deported.
The flotilla’s legal team expressed concern about the treatment detainees might face, especially those who had previously been arrested during similar missions. Thunberg was also arrested and deported after a similar attempt earlier this year.
French doctor Baptiste André, who joined the flotilla in June, told reporters that Israeli border agents mocked and deprived passengers of sleep, “in particular Thunberg.” According to the Swedish ministry’s email, Israeli authorities asked Thunberg to sign a document. “She expressed uncertainty about what the document meant and did not want to sign anything she did not understand,” it said, adding that she had access to legal counsel.
Adalah said that while Israeli authorities track repeat participants in such flotillas, they are usually held briefly and deported. Sweden’s foreign ministry said its embassy officials had visited nine detained Swedes on Friday: “The Swedish embassy in Tel Aviv remains in contact with Israeli authorities to stress the importance of swift processing and the possibility of returning home to Sweden.
“Based on discussions with detained individuals, the importance of addressing individual medical needs was also emphasised. Moreover, the embassy stressed that food and clean water must be provided immediately, and that all detainees must be given access to Israeli legal counsel, if desired.”
The Israeli embassy has dismissed the allegations as “complete lies”. It said: “All detainees from the Hamas-Sumud provocation were given access to water, food and toilets; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights, including access to medical care, were fully upheld.
“Israel is and will remain a state governed by the rule of law, committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals in accordance with international standards.” It signed off a seperate update on the deportation of other detainees by saying: “Don’t believe the fake news they are spreading”.
Minutes after the Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, Ben Gvir said: “I am proud that the flotilla activists are being treated as terrorists. This is my policy,” Lebanon-based news outlet the Cradle reported.
“I am proud of the prison staff acting in accordance with the policy set by Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi and myself. I was on their ships; I saw neither aid nor humanity. I visited Ktzi’ot Prison and was proud that we treated the flotilla activists as supporters of terrorism. Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the same conditions applied to terrorists.”
The Mirror has contacted the Israel Prison Service, the Israel Defense Forces and the foreign ministry for comment.