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With two activists from the latest Gaza flotilla still being detained by Israel, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and other House Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration rescind its “libelous falsehoods” about the humanitarian effort and speak out against the Israeli government for its alleged abuses against its participants.
Israel’s attacks on and seizures of the flotilla ships last week were a “grave violation of international law” and demand “action and accountability from the United States,” reads a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent by Tlaib and 18 other lawmakers on Tuesday.
“We are outraged that instead of speaking out and taking action to ensure the safety and immediate release of the at least 14 U.S. citizens illegally abducted by the Israeli military, the Department of State went out of its way to issue a formal condemnation of their humanitarian efforts, smearing them with libelous falsehoods that expose them to greater danger and violence,” the lawmakers wrote.
Israeli forces abducted 211 of the 400 activists on the flotilla in international waters last week, intercepting 22 out of the 58 boats that were sailing to Gaza from Barcelona. Activists said that they were abused so badly by Israeli forces that some of them required hospitalization afterward.
Two flotilla activists, Saif Abu Keshek, from Spain, and Thiago Avila, from Brazil, are still in Israeli custody and are being held without charges.
On Tuesday, an Israeli court extended their detention until May 10. That same day, Avila’s mother died after facing “years of serious illness,” the flotilla said in a post on social media.
Last week, the State Department put out a statement condemning the flotilla, saying, without evidence, that the humanitarian effort is “pro-Hamas” and a “counterproductive effort to undermine President Trump’s Peace Plan.” The department said that any allies allowing the flotilla to dock or refuel are “reasonably suspected of enabling terrorism.”
Israel has refused to fulfill the humanitarian aid requirements stipulated by the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, without accountability from the Trump administration. The administration has also failed to fulfill the needs of Gaza’s ailing population, and reports found last week that the U.S. military is closing the “coordination center” established by Trump’s plan that was supposed to monitor the entry of aid into Gaza under the ceasefire and ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement.
“We call on you to rescind these threats against flotilla participants, their supporters, and states that open their ports to this humanitarian mission and urge you to use your immense leverage to secure the freedom of all passengers who continue to be illegally detained,” said the letter spearheaded by Tlaib. “Above all else, we urge you to address the issue at the root of this voyage: the brutal Israeli blockade and genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
On Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Office also called for the release of Avila and Abu Keshek.
“It is not a crime to show solidarity and attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, who are in dire need of it. Disturbing accounts of severe mistreatment of Abukeshek and de Avila must be investigated, and those responsible must be brought to justice,” said the office’s spokesperson, Thameen Al-Kheetan.
Avila dictated a letter to his daughter while in prison, striking a tone that appeared to indicate that the activist is preparing to be detained long term.
“Your world will be safer because many parents decided to give everything to build this better world for you. I hope someday you understand that because I love you so much there was nothing more dangerous for you and for other children than living in a world that accepts genocide,” Avila said. “Please, remember your father as the person that would sing to you and play the guitar for you to sleep.”
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