Both the Brazilian and Saif Abu Keshek were captured aboard the Global Sumud flotilla; on Sunday (3), Tel Aviv had extended the detention until this Tuesday (5)
An Israeli court extended until domingo (10) a prison of two activists from the Gaza flotilla, the Brazilian Thiago Ávila and Spanish-Palestinian Saif Abu Keshekarrested last week near the coast of Greece, reported this Tuesday (5) one of their lawyers.
Thiago Ávila and Saif Abu Keshek appeared this Tuesday for the second time in court in Ashkelon, 60 kilometers from Tel Aviv. They arrived with the feet handcuffedas observed by an AFP journalist present at the scene.
The two were taken to Israel after they were captured aboard the Global Sumud flotilla, which intended to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
“The court granted a second postponement (…) of six days, which means the next hearing will be on Sunday,” said Hadeel Abu Salih, a lawyer for the Israeli human rights organization Adalah, which represents the activists.
“The court gave the police what they asked for and gave the green light to continue with this illegal measure,” he stated, denouncing that the two activists suffer “psychological torture” during detention.
Israel accuses the two activists of ties to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamaswhich both deny.
On Sunday (3), Israeli courts had already validated one of his detentions.
The NGO Adalah, which managed to visit them, denounced the “ill-treatment” they allegedly suffered in prison, accusations rejected by the Israeli authorities.
Spain and Brazil demanded the release of Keshek and Ávila.
‘No proof’
According to the lawyer, the extension was granted after the police requested more time to interrogate them. “We see this as an attempt to criminalize any show of solidarity with the Palestinian people and any attempt to break the illegal siege on Gaza,” he said. The NGO plans to appeal the decision to a district court.
The Spanish government expressed outrage at the arrests and classified the measure as “illegal” and “unacceptable”. Furthermore, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he stated that Israel had not presented “any proof” of links with Hamas, which governs Gaza.
The flotilla was initially made up of around 50 vessels and, according to its organizers, aimed to break the Israeli blockade to war-torn Palestinian territory, where access to humanitarian aid remains severely restricted.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry says the two activists have ties to the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), an organization sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department.
Washington accuses PCPA of “acting clandestinely on behalf of” Hamas.
