Two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla appeal their detention in an Israeli court, alleging abuse and isolation.
BEERSHEBA: Two foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla appeared before a court on Wednesday to appeal against their detention, an AFP journalist reported.
Spanish national of Palestinian origin Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila were among dozens of activists aboard a flotilla intercepted in international waters off the coast of Greece on Thursday.
The two were brought to Israel for questioning, while the others were taken to the Greek island of Crete and released.
On Tuesday, an Israeli court extended the detention of Abu Keshek and Avila until Sunday to allow police more time to interrogate them, according to their lawyers.
The pair’s legal team then filed an appeal at the Beersheba district court against the detention.
The two activists, their feet shackled, appeared in person for the appeal hearing on Wednesday, an AFP journalist reported.
Israeli rights group Adalah, which is representing the pair, accused authorities of subjecting the men to continuous abuse in detention.
They were being held in “total isolation, subjected to 24/7 high-intensity lighting in their cells and kept blindfolded whenever they were moved, including during medical examinations”, Adalah said.
Israeli authorities have rejected the allegations but have filed no charges against the men.
Adalah said authorities have accused the pair of several offences, including “assisting the enemy during wartime” and “membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation”.
Israel’s foreign ministry says both men were affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), a group accused by Washington of “clandestinely acting on behalf of” Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Spain, Brazil and the United Nations have called for their swift release.
“It is not a crime to show solidarity and attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, who are in dire need of it,” UN rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement.
The flotilla had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
