The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg denied she was antisemitic as she prepared to set sail on Sunday on a flotilla looking to break Israel’s naval blockade and bring humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In June, she was part of a failed attempt to reach the Strip after her yacht was intercepted by the Israeli navy.
Interviewed by Sky News before the new flotilla’s departure from Spain, she said, "It is not antisemitic to say that we should not be bombing people, that one should not be living in occupation, that everyone should have the right to live in freedom and dignity, no matter who you are.”
When Thunberg and her fellow activists were detained before being deportation from Israel, the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, ordered that they should be shown footage of the October 7 Hamas massacre.
After they declined to watch, Katz reportedly commented, “They closed their eyes to the truth. Once again, these antisemitic flotilla participants have shown they side with the murderers and not the victims.”
Dozens of small boats will be trying to defy the IDF after 23 months of war between Israel and Gaza. A blockade has been in force since Hamas seized power in the territory in 2007.
In comments to Sky News, Thunberg accused Israel of genocide and violating international law in Gaza.
The IDF told the news channel that it “enforces the security naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and is prepared for a wide range of scenarios, which it will act upon in accordance with the directives of the political echelon.”
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