Greta Thunberg and other ‘Selfie Yacht’ activists refused to watch footage of the Hamas 7 October atrocities which was screened for them upon their arrival in Israel, a senior Israel government official has said.
Israel Katz, the country’s Foreign Minister, told Israeli media that Thunberg and her companions “were taken into a room upon their arrival for a screening of the…film of the October 7 massacre, and when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching.”
He went on to accuse the flotilla members of “turning a blind eye to the truth”, saying they had “proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children.”
Thunberg, who became internationally known for her climate change protests but who has pivoted to anti-Israel activism in the last 18 months, left Israel on Tuesday morning, after being put on an El Al flight bound for France. The boat she and others were sailing on, in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, was boarded by Israeli troops on Monday. The IDF confirmed that the small amount of aid the boat had carried would be included in the general supplies Israel is currently transporting into Gaza, while Thunberg and her fellow activists were taken to the port of Ashdod. They were given the option leaving immediately – which Thunberg and some of her fellow activists agreed to. A number of others have refused to do so, meaning that they will remain in detention while they face deportation proceedings.
France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, posted on social media this morning confirming that the French consulate in Israel “was able to meet with the six French nationals arrested by the Israeli authorities last night. Their relatives have been contacted. One of them has agreed to voluntary departure and is expected to return today. The other five will be subject to a forced expulsion process.”
