'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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
Opposition leader Sussan Ley accuses Penny Wong of overstepping in ‘unprecedented' Israeli minister sanctions
Opposition leader Sussan Ley has accused the Albanese Government of overstepping by slapping 'unprecedented' sanctions on two Israeli Government ministers. She accused Penny Wong of acting 'unilaterally' in imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The Albanese Government joined the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway to sanction the pair, accusing them of 'inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank'. 'It is unprecedented to, as a government, take actions, sanctions on members of a democratically elected government. It appears that Penny Wong acted unilaterally on this,' Ms Ley told Sky New on Thursday. 'The Magnitsky sanctions were never designed to be used in this way, but to take action against terrorist regimes and bad actors.' The Magnitsky legislation allows governments to impose targeted sanctions, such as asset freezes and travel bans, on foreign individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses or corruption. Australia has only selectively deployed the sanctions, mostly on Russian individuals, since they first came into effect in December 2021 with the first set handed down in March 2022. The Foreign Minister and Labor colleagues have defended the measure, with Ms Wong saying the duo had 'extremist rhetoric' including 'appalling and dangerous' calls for the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements. Former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon also openly labelled them 'extremists.' However when asked whether the Government had 'overstepped the mark', Ms Ley bluntly responded: 'Yes we do. Yes we do'. Ms Ley's criticism of the collective move was echoed by her Coalition team on Thursday, with many calling for a briefing on the decision which they warned could have broader implications. 'We want to understand more deeply the rationale behind the government's decision making,' Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie said on Thursday. 'I think these sanctions do go against the intent of the Magnitsky sanction regime.' Opposition legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser has warned if the standard for triggering Magnitsky sanctions had been weakened it could impact Australia's standing abroad. 'This is a very serious step. When you read the government's statement, it suggests that it's actually lowered the threshold for applying sanctions,' he told the ABC on Thursday. 'Because these sanctions are being applied because of public comments of the two Israeli ministers and the big question here is whether this is a new standard that will be applied to the public comments of officials from other countries.' Shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash called the sanctions a 'very serious development' and said they should meet 'a very high threshold.' While backing the sanctions and defending them as 'carefully considered', Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said he hoped Australia and Israel would 'continue our friendship'. 'I mean we want to continue our friendship with Israel, let me be clear about that,' he said. 'We've worked very carefully in relation to taking this step over a period of time. 'We've done this in combination with the United Kingdom in combination with Canada and with other nations.' His shadow counterpart Angus Taylor went as far to question whether Ms Wong's call teamed with Labor's refusal to lift the defence budget after US pressure had prompted the Trump Administration to review the AUKUS partnership. But Marles hit back at his 'breathless press conference' and said the Coalition needed to 'take a breath' on the AUKUS probe which he downplayed as a 'natural' decision of any new government. Former Liberal politician and ex-US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos also rejected any link, noting Marles had publicly said he'd been aware a review was coming for weeks. Both sides of politics have said ultimately they wanted to see a ceasefire and long-term end to the Gaza conflict.
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Australia to be the ‘middle power' in achieving peace in the Middle East
Independent Senator David Pocock says he has been urging the Albanese government to place sanctions on Israeli ministers for over a year after he claimed the Israeli government's actions are 'unacceptable'. 'Given the concern amongst the Australian community, there's a real sense the Australian government can't end this war, but they can actually be a middle power,' Mr Pocock told Sky News Australia. 'I think it's totally unacceptable what is happening.'
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Israeli minister sanctions dubbed too little, too late
The sanctioning of two Israeli ministers by Australia has been labelled a "slap on the wrist" by a prominent pro-Palestine advocate. The federal government has imposed sanctions on Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a co-ordinated move with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The sanctions were applied for "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights", with the pair barred from travelling to Australia and any assets in the country being frozen. The measures prompted condemnation from the US, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying it would do little to achieve a ceasefire in the conflict. Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni welcomed the move but said it was too little, too late. "These sanctions are crumbs, tossed by the Australian government 613 days too late," he said. "This is a small step, but Australia must stop pretending that a slap on the wrist for two fascist ministers is justice." Mr Mashni said further sanctions, similar to measures imposed against Russian officials for the country's invasion of Ukraine, need to be applied. "Australians of good conscience demand real action. That means a full array of sanctions," he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on the need for the sanctions, despite blowback from Israel and the US. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says the government has overstepped its bounds. "It is unprecedented to, as a government, take actions, sanctions on members of a democratically elected government," she told Sky News on Thursday. "The US has explained that these actions are actually counterproductive to securing that ceasefire and that peace, and the government should be paying attention to that." Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, says the style of sanctions imposed by the government was normally reserved for human rights abusers and terrorists. "The big question here is whether this is a new standard that will be applied to the public comments of officials from other countries," he told ABC Radio. "If this is the new standard, it will have serious implications for our international relations.". Middle East politics professor at Deakin University Shahram Akbarzadeh said the sanctions were a consequential step. "It is significant and it sends a signal that Australia is becoming more resolute in pursuing its foreign policy agenda of a two-state solution," he told AAP. "Australia would not have done this on its own, but when Australia sees other allied countries taking this move, that allows Australia to feel comfortable in numbers." Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said the sanctions were concerning and unacceptable. "These ministers are part of a government that operates under the principle of collective responsibility, making such measures unreasonable," he said in a statement. "The Israeli government will convene early next week to consider and determine our official response to these actions." Prof Akbarzadeh said the sanctions imposed by the Western allies would not alter how Israel would conduct itself in the conflict. "Israel has shown it does not take international opinion seriously, and this move is unlikely to deter the Israeli government in the way they're prosecuting the war in Gaza," he said. The latest eruption of war in Gaza was sparked by militant group Hamas killing about 1200 people and abducting 250 others in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed almost 55,000 mostly civilian Palestinians in Gaza, local health authorities say. Australia in July also sanctioned Israelis involved in attacking and killing Palestinians in the West Bank. Australia has listed Hamas as a terrorist entity since 2001, according to the federal government's national security website. The sanctioning of two Israeli ministers by Australia has been labelled a "slap on the wrist" by a prominent pro-Palestine advocate. The federal government has imposed sanctions on Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a co-ordinated move with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The sanctions were applied for "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights", with the pair barred from travelling to Australia and any assets in the country being frozen. The measures prompted condemnation from the US, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying it would do little to achieve a ceasefire in the conflict. Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni welcomed the move but said it was too little, too late. "These sanctions are crumbs, tossed by the Australian government 613 days too late," he said. "This is a small step, but Australia must stop pretending that a slap on the wrist for two fascist ministers is justice." Mr Mashni said further sanctions, similar to measures imposed against Russian officials for the country's invasion of Ukraine, need to be applied. "Australians of good conscience demand real action. That means a full array of sanctions," he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on the need for the sanctions, despite blowback from Israel and the US. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says the government has overstepped its bounds. "It is unprecedented to, as a government, take actions, sanctions on members of a democratically elected government," she told Sky News on Thursday. "The US has explained that these actions are actually counterproductive to securing that ceasefire and that peace, and the government should be paying attention to that." Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, says the style of sanctions imposed by the government was normally reserved for human rights abusers and terrorists. "The big question here is whether this is a new standard that will be applied to the public comments of officials from other countries," he told ABC Radio. "If this is the new standard, it will have serious implications for our international relations.". Middle East politics professor at Deakin University Shahram Akbarzadeh said the sanctions were a consequential step. "It is significant and it sends a signal that Australia is becoming more resolute in pursuing its foreign policy agenda of a two-state solution," he told AAP. "Australia would not have done this on its own, but when Australia sees other allied countries taking this move, that allows Australia to feel comfortable in numbers." Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said the sanctions were concerning and unacceptable. "These ministers are part of a government that operates under the principle of collective responsibility, making such measures unreasonable," he said in a statement. "The Israeli government will convene early next week to consider and determine our official response to these actions." Prof Akbarzadeh said the sanctions imposed by the Western allies would not alter how Israel would conduct itself in the conflict. "Israel has shown it does not take international opinion seriously, and this move is unlikely to deter the Israeli government in the way they're prosecuting the war in Gaza," he said. The latest eruption of war in Gaza was sparked by militant group Hamas killing about 1200 people and abducting 250 others in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed almost 55,000 mostly civilian Palestinians in Gaza, local health authorities say. Australia in July also sanctioned Israelis involved in attacking and killing Palestinians in the West Bank. Australia has listed Hamas as a terrorist entity since 2001, according to the federal government's national security website. The sanctioning of two Israeli ministers by Australia has been labelled a "slap on the wrist" by a prominent pro-Palestine advocate. The federal government has imposed sanctions on Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a co-ordinated move with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The sanctions were applied for "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights", with the pair barred from travelling to Australia and any assets in the country being frozen. The measures prompted condemnation from the US, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying it would do little to achieve a ceasefire in the conflict. Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni welcomed the move but said it was too little, too late. "These sanctions are crumbs, tossed by the Australian government 613 days too late," he said. "This is a small step, but Australia must stop pretending that a slap on the wrist for two fascist ministers is justice." Mr Mashni said further sanctions, similar to measures imposed against Russian officials for the country's invasion of Ukraine, need to be applied. "Australians of good conscience demand real action. That means a full array of sanctions," he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on the need for the sanctions, despite blowback from Israel and the US. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says the government has overstepped its bounds. "It is unprecedented to, as a government, take actions, sanctions on members of a democratically elected government," she told Sky News on Thursday. "The US has explained that these actions are actually counterproductive to securing that ceasefire and that peace, and the government should be paying attention to that." Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, says the style of sanctions imposed by the government was normally reserved for human rights abusers and terrorists. "The big question here is whether this is a new standard that will be applied to the public comments of officials from other countries," he told ABC Radio. "If this is the new standard, it will have serious implications for our international relations.". Middle East politics professor at Deakin University Shahram Akbarzadeh said the sanctions were a consequential step. "It is significant and it sends a signal that Australia is becoming more resolute in pursuing its foreign policy agenda of a two-state solution," he told AAP. "Australia would not have done this on its own, but when Australia sees other allied countries taking this move, that allows Australia to feel comfortable in numbers." Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said the sanctions were concerning and unacceptable. "These ministers are part of a government that operates under the principle of collective responsibility, making such measures unreasonable," he said in a statement. "The Israeli government will convene early next week to consider and determine our official response to these actions." Prof Akbarzadeh said the sanctions imposed by the Western allies would not alter how Israel would conduct itself in the conflict. "Israel has shown it does not take international opinion seriously, and this move is unlikely to deter the Israeli government in the way they're prosecuting the war in Gaza," he said. The latest eruption of war in Gaza was sparked by militant group Hamas killing about 1200 people and abducting 250 others in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed almost 55,000 mostly civilian Palestinians in Gaza, local health authorities say. Australia in July also sanctioned Israelis involved in attacking and killing Palestinians in the West Bank. Australia has listed Hamas as a terrorist entity since 2001, according to the federal government's national security website. The sanctioning of two Israeli ministers by Australia has been labelled a "slap on the wrist" by a prominent pro-Palestine advocate. The federal government has imposed sanctions on Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a co-ordinated move with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The sanctions were applied for "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights", with the pair barred from travelling to Australia and any assets in the country being frozen. The measures prompted condemnation from the US, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying it would do little to achieve a ceasefire in the conflict. Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni welcomed the move but said it was too little, too late. "These sanctions are crumbs, tossed by the Australian government 613 days too late," he said. "This is a small step, but Australia must stop pretending that a slap on the wrist for two fascist ministers is justice." Mr Mashni said further sanctions, similar to measures imposed against Russian officials for the country's invasion of Ukraine, need to be applied. "Australians of good conscience demand real action. That means a full array of sanctions," he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on the need for the sanctions, despite blowback from Israel and the US. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says the government has overstepped its bounds. "It is unprecedented to, as a government, take actions, sanctions on members of a democratically elected government," she told Sky News on Thursday. "The US has explained that these actions are actually counterproductive to securing that ceasefire and that peace, and the government should be paying attention to that." Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, says the style of sanctions imposed by the government was normally reserved for human rights abusers and terrorists. "The big question here is whether this is a new standard that will be applied to the public comments of officials from other countries," he told ABC Radio. "If this is the new standard, it will have serious implications for our international relations.". Middle East politics professor at Deakin University Shahram Akbarzadeh said the sanctions were a consequential step. "It is significant and it sends a signal that Australia is becoming more resolute in pursuing its foreign policy agenda of a two-state solution," he told AAP. "Australia would not have done this on its own, but when Australia sees other allied countries taking this move, that allows Australia to feel comfortable in numbers." Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said the sanctions were concerning and unacceptable. "These ministers are part of a government that operates under the principle of collective responsibility, making such measures unreasonable," he said in a statement. "The Israeli government will convene early next week to consider and determine our official response to these actions." Prof Akbarzadeh said the sanctions imposed by the Western allies would not alter how Israel would conduct itself in the conflict. "Israel has shown it does not take international opinion seriously, and this move is unlikely to deter the Israeli government in the way they're prosecuting the war in Gaza," he said. The latest eruption of war in Gaza was sparked by militant group Hamas killing about 1200 people and abducting 250 others in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed almost 55,000 mostly civilian Palestinians in Gaza, local health authorities say. Australia in July also sanctioned Israelis involved in attacking and killing Palestinians in the West Bank. Australia has listed Hamas as a terrorist entity since 2001, according to the federal government's national security website.
