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Greta Thunberg is still being held in detention in Israel, and the conditions of her detainment are in dispute.
When Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, they took nearly 450 activists into custody, including Thunberg. The detainees say they were humiliated, denied medical care, and kept in squalid conditions without adequate food or water. They say Thunberg was singled out for mistreatment, dragged by her hair, tied, and mocked while being forced to pose with Israeli flags.
Israel disputes these accounts, calling them “brazen lies.” They say that the flotilla members are abusing them. They say one of their medical staff was bitten by a Spanish member of the flotilla.
But National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has openly admitted taking a personal interest in the operation, saying he was “proud that we are treating the flotilla activists as terror supporters.” He directed that they be handled as terror suspects, not humanitarian workers.
Many of the activists have since been deported to Turkey, but dozens remain in detention, their whereabouts still unknown. The United Nations has condemned Israel’s handling of the flotilla, calling for the immediate release of all remaining detainees and an independent investigation into their treatment.
At least five Americans were on the flotilla, all of them military veterans. The State Department said that it would monitor the situation and provide assistance to them but they also called the flotilla a “deliberate and unnecessary provocation.” There is no word on where those two Americans are as of this writing.
Shouldn’t we be demanding our veterans back right now from our “greatest ally”?