Israel announces to Foreign Ministry the release of Saif Abukeshek, who will be expelled from the country

Eduardo González The Israeli government has informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the release of the Spanish-Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek, who was arrested during the latest attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla and will be deported from the country via Egypt. “The Israeli authorities have just informed us, through our consul in Tel Aviv, of the release of Spanish citizen Saif Abu Keshek,” declared Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares in an audio statement on Saturday. “This release will take place in the next few hours, and the deportation from Israel will be carried out through the Tada crossing in Egypt,” he specified. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working intensively to ensure that, as soon as Saif leaves, he returns to Spain with his family as soon as possible,” he added. “This is a moment of great joy, and we will spare no effort for his prompt return to Spain,” he concluded. Last Thursday, May 7, Albares announced before the full Congress that he had summoned the Chargé d'Affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid, Dana Erlich, to convey his protest against the “inadmissible and unacceptable” decision by an Israeli court to extend the detention of the Spanish-Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek by six days. This was the second summons issued by the highest-ranking Israeli diplomat in Spain in less than a week regarding these events. Saif Abukeshek was part of a flotilla of between 70 and 80 vessels with 300 people on board, about 50 of them Spanish, which was intercepted by Israeli forces on April 29 while en route to Gaza with humanitarian aid. The raid took place west of the island of Crete, in international waters, and more than 600 nautical miles from the Israeli coast. On the afternoon of April 30, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israeli authorities announced that the members of the Flotilla would be disembarked on the island of Crete. In fact, most of the Spanish members arrived at the airport on May 1, where they were met by the consul. However, Israeli authorities decided to transfer two members of the Flotilla, Saif Abukeshek and the Brazilian Thiago Ávila, to their country. Ávila is also to be released. The two activists, whose release has not yet been publicly confirmed by Israeli authorities, are on hunger strike and were awaiting a new court hearing regarding a possible extension of their detention without charge. The two activists have never been formally charged and were being held without charge at the request of the intelligence services to investigate their role in the Flotilla. Israel accused them, without formal charges, of five serious crimes: aiding the enemy in times of war, membership in a terrorist organization, aiding a terrorist organization, transferring assets to a terrorist organization, and contact with a foreign agent. On May 5, José Manuel Albares asserted that there was “no evidence” against Saif Abukeshek and demanded that Israeli authorities, if they had evidence, either “put it on the table” or release him “immediately.”

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