Gaza aid flotilla activists appear in Israeli court after abduction

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Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Brazilian Thiago Avila attended court proceedings in Ashkelon on Sunday, Miriam Azem, the international advocacy coordinator at Adalah, told Al Jazeera. The pair were among dozens of activists who had set sail for Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece on Thursday. Organisers said on Friday that 168 members were taken to Crete while two were abducted to Israel for questioning. The court extended the activists’ detention by two days for further interrogation, Azem said. No charges have been filed against them, but Abu Keshek and Avila face several accusations, including affiliation with a “terrorist organisation and contact with foreign agents”, she said. Adalah attorneys Hadeel Abu Salih and Lubna Tuma argued before the court that the proceedings against the activists were “flawed and illegal”, stating that there is no legal basis for the “extraterritorial application of these offenses to the actions of foreign nationals in international waters”, according to a statement by the rights group. The proceedings are “a retaliatory measure against humanitarian activist leaders”, Adalah said. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the activists are part of the Palestinian National Conference Abroad, which the United States said operates at the “behest” of the Palestinian group Hamas. Spain has condemned the “kidnapping” of Abu Keshek and rejected the accusations against him. “This whole process is unlawful from the get-go: The fact that they were kidnapped in international waters near Greece and then brought in for questioning. … Their detention [and] interrogation is completely unlawful, and they must be immediately released,” Azem said. On Saturday, Adalah lawyers visited the activists at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon, where they gave testimony of “severe physical abuse amounting to torture”, the rights group said. “The harrowing testimonies provided by both activists reveal physical violence and being held for prolonged periods in stress positions by Israeli military forces during the past two days they have spent at sea,” Adalah said in a statement on Saturday, denouncing the treatment as a violation of international law. Avila reported being subjected to “extreme brutality” by the Israeli military, including being “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice”, Adalah said. The Brazilian activist has “visible bruises on his face”, the group added. When Avila was transferred to the Israel Prison Service, Adalah reported that he was kept in isolation and blindfolded. Abu Keshek also reported being “kept hand-tied and blindfolded, and being forced to lie face-down on the floor” during his detention. Both of the activists have declared a hunger strike although they are continuing to drink water. The Global Sumud Flotilla’s first voyage to Gaza in August and September drew worldwide attention before Israeli forces intercepted the boats off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza in early October. Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and expelled by Israeli forces. Adalah has been involved in representing many of the campaigners in this mission as well as previous ones, Azem said. “We very much see the flotilla as a humanitarian mission to provide and to challenge the unlawful blockade on Gaza,” she said. “We very much see the representation of the activists as an extension of our mandate … [in] defending Palestinian rights,” Azem added. 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