Greta Thunberg claiming IDF kidnapped her labelled ‘tone deaf'
Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus says it was 'tone deaf' for Greta Thunberg to claim the Israeli military kidnapped her.
'For an Israeli to hear Greta say that she has been kidnapped, In Israeli ears, that sounds very, very bad and tone deaf, Mr Conricus told Sky News Australia.
'We still have 55 Israelis that were really kidnapped or abducted by Hamas on October the 7th … I think it was a really poor choice of words.'
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The Age
31 minutes ago
- The Age
‘Ditch the phones': Israel boards Gaza charity boat with Greta Thunberg on board
Israeli forces have boarded the Gaza-bound aid boat Madleen and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists on board, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas. Footage posted by activist group the Freedom Flotilla Coalition showed a chaotic scene as the crew, wearing orange life jackets, sat with their hands up while someone shouted, 'Ditch the phones. Phones in the water, please'. Searchlights shone from outside, and a loudspeaker could be heard. In a post on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said 'the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities'' was 'safely making its way to the shores of Israel' and that those onboard were 'expected to return to their home countries'. It said the humanitarian aid aboard the boat, which was reportedly off the coast of Egypt, would be transferred to Gaza through established channels. The ministry later circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists. In an Instagram update, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said its 'peaceful volunteers were rammed and intercepted before Israeli forces boarded the vessel. We lost all contact with them seconds later'. 'The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies – confiscated,' it said in a further statement. In a pre-recorded video message, Thunberg said she and the crew had been 'intercepted and kidnapped in international waters'. 'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,' she said in the video.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Protest ship escorted to Israeli port
Isabella Higgins: A civilian ship seized by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean has arrived at an Israeli port almost 18 hours after it was intercepted off the coast of Egypt. The Madleen has been trying to deliver aid to Gaza and lawyers for the crew argue it was illegally targeted by Israeli authorities. Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran is in Jerusalem. Matthew, what's the latest on the ship? Matthew Doran: Isabella, good morning. The ship has docked at Ashdod port, which is about halfway between Gaza and Tel Aviv. It's a major cargo terminal, but it is also a naval base. And it's from there that the 12 crew, including the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, will be taken to a detention facility and then to a court to arrange for their deportation. It was a very slow voyage today, considering that the ship was intercepted off the coast of Egypt in the early hours of the morning. And the distance from that point to the port really isn't that large. It's fueling speculation as to Israel wanting to bring the ship into dock under the cover of darkness to try to control what can be seen of the Madleen and the crew. Must also be pointed out that while Israeli authorities continue to describe the crew as simply seeking selfies here, it is releasing its own photos of the crew as they are now on land in Israel, trying to control that narrative. Now, the ship was in international waters when Israeli forces intercepted it before its final approach towards Gaza, carrying a symbolic amount of aid. And it's because of that that the crew's lawyers argue they shouldn't have been stopped, insisting Israel didn't actually have the authority to intercept them and arrest them, bringing the campaigners to Israel for deportation. Here's one of their lawyers, Hadeel Abu Salih, speaking at the Ashdod port earlier. Hadeel Abu Salih: We're basically talking about people who were sailing in international waters and then Israel basically captured them and abducted them into Israel. And even the legal procedure they are willing to take is not, it does not apply to them. Matthew Doran: That's Hadeel Abu Salih speaking there. Now, not everyone shares that concern, though. We've spoken to a former senior Israel Defence Forces lawyer, Dr. Eran Shamir-Borer, who's told us that Israel can operate in this way, partly because it's had a naval blockade of Gaza in place since 2009. He says that even a UN inquiry backed the validity of that back in 2011, following an incident when Israeli forces stormed a Turkish ship and nine people were killed. Now, this is a point which will likely be debated again and again as a result of this current incident. And even though the outcome is quite different to that 2010 incident with the Turkish ship, Dr. Eran Shamir-Borer insists that the legal authority is there. Eran Shamir-Borer: So once a naval blockade has been imposed, there is a right, even an obligation, to enforce it. Enforcing could be done not just with respect to actual breach of such a blockade, but also if there is an attempted breach. Isabella Higgins: Dr. Eran Shamir-Borer from the Israel Democracy Institute there. Matthew, has there been any global reaction to this? Matthew Doran: Isabella, we've heard from the Turkish government, which is labelled a heinous crime by the Netanyahu government. And French authorities say that they have told the Israeli government that consular assistance must be offered to the six French crew who are on board, including one who is actually a member of the European Parliament. Outside of governments, we've heard from the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese. She is saying that other ships should try to make the same voyage following up from the Madleen. And it really does show that while this is an outcome which was certainly expected, it certainly highlights the restrictions Israel is placing on Gaza, something which is particularly heightened during this current intense humanitarian crisis. Isabella? Isabella Higgins: Matthew Doran in Jerusalem.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
'She's a young, angry person': Donald Trump says Greta Thunberg needs 'anger management class' after the activist claimed she had been kidnapped by Israel
Donald Trump has dismissed Greta Thunberg as a 'young, angry person' after the Swedish activist claimed she was 'kidnapped' by Israel. Thunberg was among a dozen people on board a yacht attempting to break Israel's blockade of Gaza when Israeli forces boarded the vessel. All 12 activists have since arrived in Israel and are set to be deported back to their home countries, but in a pre-recorded video message released online after she was taken into custody, the 22-year-old Thunberg urged her 'friends, family and comrades' to campaign for her release. "My name is Greta Thunberg, and I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel," the Swedish activist said. Responding to the remarks on Tuesday, President Trump dismissed the claims. "She said she was kidnapped by Israel? I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg," Trump said. "She's a young, angry person … I don't know if it's real anger, it's hard to believe, actually. But I saw what happened. "I think she has to go to anger management class. That's my primary recommendation for her." Thunberg was headed for Gaza on a Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel named The Medleen which departed Sicily on June 1 and was boarded by Israeli troops on Monday. Images released by the Israeli government shows the activists being handed water and sandwiches. All 12 activists have since arrived in Israel, where they are undergoing health checks. In social media post Israel's Foreign Ministry described the vessel as a 'selfie yacht' that was only carrying a 'tiny amount of aid'. "There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve provocations and selfies," the post said. 'More than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and close to 11 million meals were transferred by the GHF directly to civilians in Gaza.' Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer accused the activists of carrying out a publicity stunt to raise their own profiles. 'Greta wasn't bringing aid, she was bringing herself,' Mr Mencer said. 'And she's not here for Gaza; let's be blunt about it, she's here for Greta. "She's alienated half the world with her crying wolf and now she's looking for her next bandwagon. This was a PR stunt sailing under the flag of moral vanity.' Israel's defence minister Israel Katz has ordered the activists to be shown footage of the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, before they are deported.
