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The Israeli government has announced that Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila are already in the country, where they will be interrogated imminently. Israel’s foreign ministry made the announcement on social media, without specifying either their point of arrival or the location of the questioning.
Israel accuses both men of maintaining ties with Hamas through the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, an organisation the United States has designated as a front for the Palestinian Islamist movement. It specifically names Abu Keshek as one of the “leaders” of that structure, while describing Ávila as working for the group in activities it considers illegal.
Both will receive consular visits from their respective countries. In the case of the Spaniard, it will be the Spanish consul in Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, Brazilian activist Ávila will be assisted by diplomats from his own country.
Albares: (Keshek) should be in Crete with the others
The Spanish foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, was unequivocal in an interview with ‘Catalunya Ràdio’: it was, he said, “an illegal detention carried out in international waters, outside any jurisdiction of the Israeli authorities.”
For Spain’s top diplomat, Abu Keshek should never have set foot on Israeli soil; he should have been put ashore on the Greek island of Crete together with the rest of the activists.
On Thursday, the foreign ministry urgently summoned the head of the Israeli embassy in Madrid to convey the government’s condemnation.
Spain has also signed up to a joint declaration with ten other countries, including Turkey, Brazil, Colombia and South Africa, stating that the Israeli attacks on the ships and the detention of the activists constitute “flagrant violations of international law.”
Asked whether Abu Keshek may have been tortured, Albares acknowledged that he could not confirm it because there has not yet been direct contact with him. What he did confirm is that several activists needed medical attention in Crete and that the Spanish consul dispatched there had to accompany them.
The flotilla alleges systematic torture
The Global Sumud Flotilla goes further in its accusations.
In a statement released in the early hours of Saturday, the organisation claims that both Abu Keshek and Ávila were tortured by the Israeli army after being separated from the other 174 activists who were also taken to the Israeli naval vessel Nahshon.
“Eyewitnesses have testified to the screams of Abu Keshek echoing throughout the ship as he was systematically tortured after being separated from the others,” the statement says.
The organisation describes what happened as a “serious escalation” and an “additional war crime”. As many as 35 activists, according to the organisers, had to receive medical treatment as a result of the violence during the Israeli operation.
Family left in the dark and afraid
Sally Issa, the activist’s wife told channel TVE that they had been without information for hours. “We have been given no information about the transfer,” she said. “Israel cannot seize people in international waters. It is an illegal act, and we call on the Spanish government to do everything it can to secure his release.”
What worries her most, she said, is her husband’s physical condition. “We have testimony from activists who were there who said that there has been systematic violence against Saif, and we are gravely concerned for his health,” she explained, adding that beyond lawyers, his family also needs guarantees of medical care.
The rest of the flotilla’s activists, apart from Abu Keshek and Ávila, disembarked in Crete on Friday, where some were treated in medical centres, and the rest began to be repatriated to their respective countries.