Israel extends the detention of the Palestinian-Spanish flotilla activist: they denounce extreme isolation and inhumane treatment

The Ascalon court decided this Tuesday to extend for six days the detention of the Palestinian-Spanish activist Saif Abukeshek and of the Brazilian Thiago Ávila, detained after the boarding of the humanitarian flotilla Global Sumud in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea. According to the organization Adalah, which exercises their defense, both will remain in custody at least until next May 10, despite the fact that the Israeli authorities have not presented formal charges against them.

During the hearing, the lawyers Hadil Abú Salí and Lubna Tuma argued that the accusations put forward by the Prosecutor's Office, among them “assisting the enemy in wartime” or “contacting a foreign agent,” are “unfounded” and are not related to the activity of the flotilla, whose objective was to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The defense also maintains that Israel's action lacks legal basis, as the arrest occurred about a thousand kilometers from the coast and outside its jurisdiction.

Adalah has also denounced the conditions in which the activists find themselves, assuring that they remain in “total isolation” and in cells subjected to “constant high-intensity lighting”. According to their account, both are transferred blindfolded even to receive medical attention and maintain a hunger strike since April 30, ingesting only water in protest of what they consider a “kidnapping” and degrading treatment.

For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has publicly demanded from the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu to provide evidence that justifies the detention. “There is no evidence or any relation”, he affirmed, while demanding the immediate release of the Spanish activist and stressing that Israel “does not have jurisdiction in international waters”, in line with the position maintained by the Spanish Executive.