Even here in Israel, government statements about Greta Thunberg's ‘selfie yacht' are seen as crass
News of Israeli commandos
taking control of the Madleen Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel
bound for
Gaza
made headline news in
Israel
on Monday morning, as it did in many places around the world. But by early afternoon, the story had already moved down Israelis' newsfeeds. Dramatic images of the
Hamas tunnels of Gaza
; the funerals of four Israeli soldiers; the Iran nuclear deal; and a potential constitutional crisis between the
Binyamin Netanyahu
government and the attorney general were a few of the stories competing for the attention of people here. It is a truism that there is never a slow news day in Israel, and certainly not in the past two years.
Climate activist
Greta Thunberg
and her crew had the misfortune of nearing Israeli-controlled waters in the week that prime minister Netanyahu, on trial for bribery for five years, was finally cross-examined in a Jerusalem court. The forceful boarding of the yacht also happened the same morning one of his erstwhile coalition partners threatened to bolt the government, potentially triggering an election.
Still, the story – particularly the lead-up to the raid – received considerable attention across all Israeli media outlets. There was, however, the usual difference between how the mainstream news channels and social media treated the story. While the former mostly took it seriously, coverage on social media mercilessly mocked Thunberg. And that included Israeli state accounts. Her dramatic and presumably pre-recorded message, 'we have been kidnapped by occupational forces', calling for help to her 'comrades ... to release me as soon as possible',
was widely lampooned on social media here. (To be fair, the mocking wasn't only confined to Israeli social media.)
The undisguised sarcasm of some of the statements by the Israel Foreign Ministry on X mirrored the contemptuous tone elsewhere in Israel. 'The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,' the ministry stated.
It then put out images of a smiling picture of Thunberg being offered a sandwich with the caption: 'Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits.' The ministry went on to accuse 'Greta and others' of 'a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity' – presumably that was indeed the point.
READ MORE
Israeli forces intercept the Madleen, carrying pro-Palestinian activists attempting to bring aid to Gaza. Video: David Dunne
Even here in Israel, the description of the flotilla, which had sought to bring attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as a 'selfie yacht' of 'celebrities' struck some as crass. The 'selfie yacht' sneer drew criticism from
Ynet
– the online news service of Israel's largest daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth – which drily compared that phrase to the seriousness of the reporting on the story across the international media.
Mainstream television coverage in Israel generally took a more sober approach. On the evening before the yacht was forcibly boarded, the coverage focused on the risks to the reputation of Israel if the tragic events of the 2010 flotilla were to be repeated.
On that occasion, the Mavi Marmara – a flotilla organised by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) – was boarded by Israeli forces in international waters, and 10 activists were killed during the raid. International relations between Israel and Turkey rapidly deteriorated in the ensuing weeks and never recovered. In 2013, Israel apologised for 'operational mistakes' in the raid. A compensation deal is still being negotiated between the two countries.
The Israeli-Arab rights group Adalah
put out a sombre statement, noting that Israeli forces had detained the flotilla in international waters 'where Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority', thus violating international humanitarian law.
There was the predictable eye-rolling in Israel to an Iranian foreign ministry press statement from Tehran which said: 'The assault on this flotilla – since it happened in international waters – is considered a form of piracy under international law.'
[
Harris praises Madleen volunteers for highlighting 'urgent need for humanitarian aid' to reach Gaza
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]
It is an open secret that
Iran
has been funding their proxies,
the Houthis in Yemen
, for a decade or more. The Houthis, with the guiding hand of Iran, have been openly attacking commercial shipping in international waters in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea for years. A week doesn't go by in Tel Aviv without deafening sirens going off due to incoming missiles from Yemen.
[
Despite the politics, Ireland is Israel's second-biggest export market for goods
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Once in Israel, Thunberg and her fellow crew members were reportedly forced – on the direct order of Israeli defence minister Israel Katz – to watch a 40-minute graphic video of the
Hamas
atrocities on October 7th, 2023.
'It is only fitting that the anti-Semitic Greta [Thunberg] and her Hamas-supporting friends see exactly who this terrorist group Hamas is – the one they came to support and act on behalf of – and the horrors it carried out against women, the elderly and children,' Katz said in a statement.
On Tuesday morning,
the foreign ministry
said the passengers had been taken to an airport in Tel Aviv for deportation.
Judging by international news coverage over the past 24 hours, Thunberg and her crew on the Madleen have certainly commanded the headlines.
Whether they managed to bring aid any closer to the starving millions in Gaza remains to be seen. One thing is virtually certain: the polarised views of many Israelis and non-Israelis will not have moved an inch.
Paul Kearns is an Irish-born freelance journalist based in Tel Aviv.
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
A 3am siren, an ‘extreme threat' alert, then the bombers soared above – Inside Israel as all-out war with Iran launched
THURSDAY night at 3am was a strange moment. We had an air raid siren - nothing unusual given this has been almost nightly for months due to missiles from the Houthis. 6 Firefighters and rescue personnel at a fire following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Tel Aviv Credit: AP 6 Missiles launched from Iran being intercepted by Israel Credit: EPA 6 Crystal Jones lives in Israel and has told what life is like as Iran fires missiles Credit: Crystal Jones 6 But having spent days hearing Shortly after the country-wide alarm, every person throughout Israel received a message from the Home Office Command. It was both vague and nerve-racking. It told us to wait for further alerts in case of an "extreme threat" - with nothing more added. More on Israel At the same time, we began to hear non-stop warplanes - which have been relentless ever since. After that, it was clear the whole country was awake, all of social media and every single WhatsApp group was abuzz with "what is going on?' type of anxious chatter. At some point in the night, A report recently showed that the regime there now has enough uranium for nine nuclear weapons, and can build them within a matter of months. Most read in The Sun As this would be enough to obliterate our country - and Iran has made no secret of its intent to do so - Bibi was right when he said we had no choice but to strike. His speech was articulate, somehow reassuring, and widely applauded. It feels that the country is very much behind him. If pockets of the country aren't - its fringe groups are. Netanyahu slams Khamenei as a 'dictator and a tyrant' as he praises the Iranian people And like last year, after Israel's incredible pager operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, everyone is once again in complete awe at Mossad and the IDF for the magnificent long-planned military feat they've pulled off. The next morning, everyone was bleary-eyed from a poor night's sleep, and in repetition of the days The hospitals were also cleared, ready for a potential influx of casualties, and everyone told to stay home, attending emergency services only in the most extreme cases. Then it was shabbat. For those who observe it like me, it was a tough evening - our usual happy gathering and meal was constantly interrupted by air raid sirens, trips to the safe room and countless ear-shattering booms. The It's nothing like the missiles from Gaza and Yemen we've become accustomed to, which now feel insignificant in comparison. Since the weekend, we have had the odd siren in the day, but mostly they've been going through the night. Israel-Iran conflict enters fourth day IRAN and Israel are continuing to rain down missiles on each other for a fourth day - with the US embassy in Tel Aviv now being damaged. Tension is skyrocketing as the conflict threatens to spiral into a wider regional war with Pakistan also calling for the Islamic world to back Iran. It comes as a senior Iranian general has claimed Pakistan has warned they will nuke Israel. General Mohsen Rezaee, a senior official in the IRGC and a member of Iran's National Security Council, said: 'Pakistan has assured us that if Israel uses a nuclear bomb on Iran, they will attack Israel with a nuclear bomb.' America could also be pulled into the conflict, with Donald Trump warning the "full strength and might" of the US military would be used if American assets were targeted. Damage to the embassy was done during a third night of fierce missile exchange between Iran and Israel, with Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador in Israel, said the embassy in Tel Aviv was damaged 'from concussions of Iranian missile hits' near the building but that no personnel were injured. Iran and Israel sit on the brink of a full-scale war after Tel Aviv accused Tehran of trying to develop a nuclear bomb. Israel successfully blasted numerous Iranian targets on Sunday as Tehran Iran fired back with a barrage of around 30 missiles targeting central Israel and Jerusalem. But the retaliatory attacks have done little to restore much faith among Iranian locals who have spent the past three days awaiting the next Israeli blitz. Chaos erupted in Tehran this weekend as civilians started to flee the Iranian capital amid car bombings and relentless Israeli air strikes. The strikes are also said to have obliterated an aircraft repair centre, and targeted the city's famous Valiasr Square. Netanyahu told Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier that Iranian civilians are now growing tired of the current regime. The Israeli PM claims the current leadership doesn't "have the people", and says "80 per cent of the people" want to overthrow it. Trump has also told ABC News network that it remains possible he will become involved at some point if strikes continue. He warned Tehran would experience "the full strength" of the US military if it attacks the US bases in the We heard the Iranian regime generally sends missiles at night due to the weather - it is too hot in the day to load the missiles up with fuel as the intense sun often causes them to burn out. So we have some respite during the day, but our nighttimes are fraught with the planes, sirens, shakes and constant sonic booms. This war has been hanging over our heads for a long time. Throughout the battle with Hamas, we've been fearful of this escalating to what it now has. But as contradictory as this sounds, now that it has, in some ways it is a relief - especially as we couldn't have started in a stronger way. Those who know the bible and the story of Esther, the woman who became Queen of Persia and managed to save the Jewish people from total destruction - there is a line from that story generally being quoted. Haman - the Perisan courtier who tried to destroy the Jewish people - was told by his wife after his first humiliation that his life will be in danger if he continues to go after the Jews - he didn't listen and was later hanged along with his whole family. Even the least religious among us feel it is a precursor to modern day. It is clear that the nation of Israel is divinely protected, and Iran is going to suffer the same fate as their ancient predecessor Haman if they don't heed. Even the few missiles and shrapnel that have managed to get through during the war have generally hit Arabs not Jews. There is a general feeling of deep resilience and unity within Israel. A very different feeling to the anxious unity of October 7. This is a stronger feeling - more of a "we got this" rather than the pain of gathering ashes and burying the dead together. There is hope for the future, not just for Israel, but for the people of Iran too. We know that deep down, they are our friends, who are suffering the oppression of those in power that terrorise their daily lives. Unlike the people of Gaza, who have only ever been taught to hate Israel, Iranians remember a time when we treated each other with respect. The people of Israel and the people of Iran want those times back. The camaraderie of the nation is now so strong that we are hearing far more complaints of Israelis trying to get back into the country than we are hearing of anyone trying to leave. So we know we have G-d on our side. We are not going anywhere and Iran will never triumph over us. 6 Responders inspect a damaged building following a strike by an Iranian missile in the Israeli city of Petah Tikva Credit: AFP 6 The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv Credit: AP
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump, Netanyahu and Khamenei — three angry old men who could get us all killed
This was not inevitable. This is a war Israel chose. It could have been prevented. Diplomatic talks were ongoing when the bombers took off for Iran. Israel's continuing, illegal, unjustified airstrikes are unlikely to achieve their stated aim — permanently ending Tehran's presumed efforts to build nuclear weapons — and may accelerate it. They must stop now. Likewise, Iran must halt its retaliation immediately and drop its escalatory threats to attack US and UK bases. This conflict is not limited, as was the case last year, to tit-for-tat exchanges and 'precision strikes' on a narrow range of military targets. It's reached a wholly different level. Potentially nothing is off the table. Civilians are being killed on both sides. Leaders are targets. The rhetoric is out of control. With Israel fighting on several fronts, and Iran's battered regime backed against a wall, the Middle East is closer than ever to a disastrous conflagration. Reasons can always be found to go to war. The roots of major conflicts often reach back decades — and this is true of the Israel-Iran vendetta, which dates to the 1979 Islamic revolution. The so-called 'shadow war' between the two intensified in recent years. Yet all-out conflict had been avoided, until now. Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu: War is Netanyahu's choice. It's what gets him out of bed in the morning. It's what keeps him and his UK-sanctioned far-right cronies in office and out of jail. Picture: AP /Ohad Zwigenberg So who is principally to blame for this sudden, unprecedented explosion? Answer: three angry old men whose behaviour raises serious doubts about their judgment, common sense, motives and even their sanity. The fact that one of them — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister — has actively sought a showdown with Iran for years does not mean it had to happen. The fact the Tehran regime is unusually vulnerable after Israel's attacks last year and the defeat of its Hezbollah ally does not somehow legitimise a surprise assault on its sovereign soil. It's true that UN nuclear inspectors say Iran is breaking treaty obligations. But that doesn't amount to a green light for war. Netanyahu attacked Iran to avert an 'existential threat'. He may have made it worse. Netanyahu, 75, is unfit to lead Israel, let alone make life-or-death decisions on its behalf. He failed to protect Israelis from the 2023 terror attacks, then dodged responsibility. He has failed to fulfil his vow to destroy Hamas and bring back the hostages, yet his soldiers have killed more than 55,000 Palestinians in Gaza in the process. He invaded Lebanon and Syria. Now it's Iran. Where will he stop? Will he fight Turkey next? It's not out of the question. War is Netanyahu's choice. It's what gets him out of bed in the morning. It's what keeps him and his UK-sanctioned far-right cronies in office and out of jail. His actions have inflicted extraordinary damage on his country's reputation, fuelling antisemitism globally. He claims Israel is fighting for its existence — but his own political survival is a prime consideration, too. Netanyahu has been indicted for alleged war crimes in Gaza. He should be arrested, not defended and enabled, before any more crimes are committed. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's bellicose supreme leader, is the second leading culprit. He should have been put out to grass in Qom years ago. The 86-year-old squats atop a repressive, corrupt theocratic regime that has lost touch with the society and people it ostensibly serves. Elections are fixed, judges are bent, media censorship is pervasive. The regime's military incompetence, economic mismanagement and brutal persecution of young women, gay men and human rights defenders such as Nasrin Sotoudeh are notorious. Like Netanyahu, Khamenei is backed by hardline conservatives and opposed by reformers, but it's him who calls the shots. His suspicious insistence on stepping up uranium enrichment, even though civil applications are lacking, ultimately gave Netanyahu an opening. Although he is said to be unwell, Khamenei is a key reason why Iran will not abandon its nuclear programme. Even without him, Netanyahu's idea that it can be totally eliminated is fantasy. This blindspot may be the regime's final undoing. Israel's strikes have killed senior military leaders and damaged nuclear facilities and ballistic missile and drone forces. Khamenei himself, and Iran's vital energy exports, may be next. In a patronising video, Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise up and seize their 'freedom'. Many would like to. The difficulty with such advice, coming from a tainted source, is that it could have the opposite effect of rallying the public, and Arab leaders, around the regime. US president Donald Trump: Whether he is selling out to Vladimir Putin, weaponising tariffs, botching a Gaza ceasefire or bullying neighbours, Trump is a total menace. Iran's threats to attack US, British and French bases and ships if they help defend Israel, and to close the strait of Hormuz, heighten the risk of full-scale war and a global energy shock that could hurt the west and benefit Russia. These are some of the direct consequences of Donald Trump's weak, vacillating stance. Trump, 79, is the third man in this avoidable tragedy. He previously said he preferred to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran, having idiotically trashed the previous one. But he couldn't decide on terms, and his amateurish negotiators kept changing their position. That was partly because Trump, as with Palestine and Ukraine, is too idle to study the details. He wings it instead, trusting to instincts that are invariably bad. That makes him easy prey for wily operators such as Netanyahu. Trump's feeble ineptitude meant that when Israel's leader insisted last week that the time was right for an all-out attack on Iran, he folded. Typically, once the attack began, he switched, trying to claim credit and issuing flatulent threats of his own. Each time he opens his mouth, Trump inadvertently confirms Iran's suspicions that the US and Israel are acting in close concert. Anyone who still thinks Trump has even the remotest idea what he's doing when confronting the big international questions of the day should study the alarming events of the past week. Whether he is selling out to Vladimir Putin, weaponising tariffs, botching a Gaza ceasefire or bullying neighbours, Trump is a total menace. Far better, and safer, for Britain to bypass him and try as much as possible to act independently of the US from now on. These angry old men could get us all killed. Read More Maria Walsh: Polish election result shows we cannot take trust in Europe for granted
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Iran strikes Tel Aviv and Haifa as Israel conflict enters fourth day
Iranian missiles have struck Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week's G7 meeting that the conflict between the two regional enemies could lead to a broader Middle East war. Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said Monday that four people were pronounced dead after strikes at four sites in central Israel, with 87 injured. The dead were two women and two men, all approximately 70 years old, the MDA said. Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv said that Iranian missiles had hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, blowing out windows and heavily damaging multiple apartments. Search and location operations were under way in the northern port city of Haifa where about 30 people were wounded, emergency authorities said, as dozens of first responders rushed to the strike zones. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port, media reported. READ MORE Iranian state TV said the country fired at least 100 missiles at Israel, signalling that it had no intention of yielding to international calls for de-escalation as it pressed on with its retaliation for Israel's surprise attack on Tehran's nuclear program and military leadership on Friday. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed the latest attack employed a new method that caused Israel's multi-layered defence systems to target each other. The Guardian was unable to verify this claim. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. Israeli officials have repeatedly said the defence system is not 100% infallible and warned of tough days ahead. Israeli strikes on Iran on Sunday killed the intelligence chief of the country's Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Kazemi, along with two other officers, Iran's IRNA state media news agency reported. Late on Sunday the Israeli military said that it was striking surface-to-surface missile sites in Iran. Images from Tehran showed the night sky lit up by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes against Iran's oil and gas sector – raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning of the Iranian state. At least 14 people in Israel, including children, were killed in earlier strikes in the lead-up to Monday's attacks, according to authorities. The death toll in Iran had reached at least 224, with 90% of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said. G7 leaders began gathering in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday with the Israel-Iran conflict expected to be a top priority. Before leaving for the summit on Sunday, US president Donald Trump was asked what he was doing to de-escalate the situation. 'I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal,' he told reporters. 'Sometimes they have to fight it out.' German chancellor Friedrich Merz said his goals for the summit included for Iran to not develop or possess nuclear weapons, ensuring Israel's right to defend itself, avoiding escalation of the conflict and creating room for diplomacy. 'This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit,' Merz told reporters. Consular efforts to assist Irish citizens in Iran and Israel were under way over the weekend, with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris saying embassy staff had been in contact with those actively seeking to leave. 'With airspace closed, it is extremely challenging, which is why we are examining land border options too,' he said, adding that he wished to reiterate advice for no Irish citizen to travel to either country. Mr Harris will on Tuesday attend an emergency meeting of European Union foreign affairs ministers at which the escalating tensions will be discussed. Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday. In Washington, two US officials told Reuters that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When asked about the Reuters report, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Fox News 'There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that.' 'We do what we need to do,' he added. Israel began the assault with a surprise attack on Friday that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and pledged the campaign would escalate in the coming days. Iran vowed to 'open the gates of hell' in retaliation. Trump has lauded Israel's offensive while denying Iranian allegations that the US has taken part and warning Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include US targets. However, two US officials said on Friday that the US military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel. The US president has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear program, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but which western countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog say could be used to make an atomic bomb. - Guardian, Reuters, AP
