Boats of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and about 20 Swiss nationals including former Geneva mayor Rémy Pagani, have been intercepted by Israeli forces. The Swiss foreign ministry has appealed to Tel Aviv.
The Swiss foreign ministry has asked Tel Aviv to act in accordance with the principles of proportionality and necessity, guaranteeing the safety of the participants. It also said consular staff had been deployed to protect those involved.
Israel’s foreign ministry said detainees were “safe and sound” and would be deported to Europe. The Swiss foreign ministry, however, has been informed of the arrest of some participants, whose names have not yet been officially revealed. “The foreign ministry is doing everything possible to obtain information about the detained persons and their place of detention. As soon as possible, embassy representatives will visit the detainees,” it said it a statement.
The news of the interception quickly provoked reactions, triggering protests in several European cities. The largest in Switzerland took place in Lausanne on Wednesday evening, where 500-1,000 people gathered at 9:30pm at the call of a pro-Palestinian collective. Further demonstrations are planned today in other cities.
Translated from Italian using DeepL/amva/ts
