Israel Threatens to Arrest Greta Thunberg as ‘Terrorist’ After Gaza Flotilla Mission

TDT | Manama

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Israel is preparing to arrest climate activist Greta Thunberg under “terrorist-level” conditions after she joined a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.

Thunberg set sail from Barcelona on Sunday as part of what organizers described as the “largest solidarity mission in history,” alongside British actor Liam Cunningham, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and other activists. The fleet, known as the Global Sumud Flotilla, aims to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver aid supplies amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is reportedly drafting a plan to detain the activists in harsh conditions typically reserved for terrorist suspects. The plan, to be presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would also see the flotilla’s ships seized and repurposed for police operations, the newspaper Israel Hayom reported.

“Following several weeks… they’ll be sorry about the time they arrived here. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt,” sources close to Ben-Gvir were quoted as saying.

Speaking before departure, Thunberg rejected accusations of antisemitism and insisted the mission is a humanitarian effort. “It is not anti-Semitic to say that we should not be bombing people, that one should not be living in occupation, that everyone should have the right to live in freedom and dignity,” she told supporters in Barcelona.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is expected to grow in the coming days, with more ships setting sail from Genoa, Catania, Tunisia, and other Mediterranean ports. Organizers say the initiative is part of a “global uprising” of citizens stepping in where governments have failed.

This is not the first time Thunberg has clashed with Israeli authorities. In June, she and 11 other activists were detained by the Israeli navy after entering its waters. The group was taken to Ashdod and later deported, with Israel’s foreign ministry branding the effort a “media provocation.”

Israel continues to face international criticism over its blockade and military campaign in Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched deadly attacks in southern Israel, the conflict has killed more than 63,000 people in Gaza, according to health officials there, and left the enclave facing mass displacement, hunger, and devastation.