Climate activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel early Tuesday, hours after the yacht she and other pro-Palestinian activists were sailing on docked at Ashdod Port. Thunberg was among four people who signed voluntary departure agreements. Eight others, including French-Palestinian jurist and European Parliament member Rima Hassan, refused to sign and were transferred to a detention facility.
The 12 activists were detained after their yacht, Madleen, was intercepted by the Israeli navy. The group had set out in a flotilla they described as an effort to “break the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid” to the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities brought the activists to Ben Gurion Airport shortly after 3 a.m. on Tuesday. Those who declined voluntary deportation were sent to the Givon detention center, where they may be held for up to 96 hours. Under Israeli law, deportation can then proceed without their consent.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said the government “will not allow its sovereignty to be undermined by protest flotillas at its borders.” He thanked immigration officials for their “swift and professional” work and ordered all 12 participants barred from future entry to Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the activists had been taken to the airport and said that those who refused to leave would undergo legal proceedings to formalize their deportation. Israeli officials expressed hope that consular representatives from the activists’ home countries, who met them at the airport, would persuade them to cooperate.
A Foreign Ministry video showed Thunberg at the port, with Israeli flags visible in the background. She was reportedly in good health, as were the other detainees, according to Israeli authorities.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to screen a film depicting Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre for the activists. However, he later clarified that the activists, including Thunberg, refused to watch the footage. “They closed their eyes to the truth,” Katz said. “Once again, these antisemitic flotilla participants have shown they side with the murderers and not the victims.”
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Thunberg, a prominent Swedish environmentalist, had urged her supporters to pressure Sweden’s government to take a stance against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard declined to intervene, saying Thunberg “does not require support from the ministry.” She later added that help would be available if genuinely needed.
U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the situation during a Monday evening appearance at the White House. “She’s a strange person, a young and angry person,” he said of Thunberg. “I think she should take an anger management class.” Addressing reports that Thunberg claimed she had been kidnapped by Israel, Trump added, “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.”