צילום: alarab.net

Majid Kial

Photo: Alarab.net

Flotilla activist: Navy hijacked us

Haifa student who took part in 'Freedom Wave' flotilla says Israeli commandoes threatened passengers

Hassan Shaalan|Published: 11.05.11 , 22:46

"The Israeli forces were very aggressive to us, they confiscated all of our equipment, including the reporters' cameras," Majid Kial, a 26-year-old student from Haifa, who participated in Friday's "Freedom Waves" flotilla, told Ynet.

Kial, along with 27 other activists, was arrested by the Israeli Navy on Friday afternoon. He was released on Saturday.

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Some 21 activists slated for deportation told the Immigration Authority that they refuse to leave Israel. Sources within the Immigration Authority said that the activists admitted that they "came here to create provocations," and said that they wanted to remain in jail "to keep authorities busy."

The INF hailing 'Freedom Waves' (Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

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Should the activists persist in their refusal to leave Israel on their own accord, they will be arraigned by Monday and then deported.

Friday saw the INF hail the Irish and Canadian vessels to stop, duly warning them that they were about to breach the maritime siege placed on Gaza. When the ships refused to stop or turn back, naval forces intercepted them at sea. The activists did not resist and no one was hurt.

The IDF said that while no weapons were found on the ships – neither was any humanitarian aid.

'Soldier held a gun to my head'

"Once we approached Gaza Strip the phones and internet on the ship were disconnected," Kial said. "We saw three Navy ships and we communicated with them using the ship's radio.

"At first, we agreed to let them board the ship so they could see we weren’t transporting weapons – so we could continue to Gaza , but they changed their minds and wouldn’t give us any explanation."

During the negotiations with the INF, he continued, masked commandoes stormed the ship, carrying various weapons: "They started threatening us and assaulting us. One of them even held a gun to my head," he claimed.

"Some of the soldiers threatened the captain to change the ship's course. One of the activists was attacked and suffered a head injury. After all of their threats, they flew the Israeli flag on the ship and we changed course to Ashdod."

Kial said that the activists refused to leave the ship once it arrived in Ashdod Port. "They threatened us and forced us to get off the ship. The Navy essentially hijacked us."

Kial was released several hours later. His passport was confiscated and he was ordered to pay a NIS 3,000 (roughly $830) fine. He was also barred from leaving the country for one month.

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פרסום ראשון: 11.05.11, 22:46

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