J POST– Over 600 passengers from the Gaza-bound flotilla which was raided by Israeli forces on Monday were detained on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Forty-five detainees were deported on Tuesday from Ben Gurion International Airport, while an additional three were waiting for flights out of the country.
Some
130 activists were transferred early Tuesday afternoon to the Ela
Prison in Beersheba, where 480 other detainees were being held.
The Israel Prison
Service (IPS) said that the prisoners would not be brought before
a court due to the special Interior Ministry
orders they were being detained under. They also stated that the
prisoners would be permitted to meet with attorneys or consuls from
their home countries.
Among
the detainees is the leader of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch,
Sheikh
Raed Salah, according to Israel Radio. Salah was said to have been
injured in the Monday raid, but the reports turned out to be false. Arab
MK Haneen Zoabi had been detained, but was released after she was
questioned by authorities.
© COPYRIGHT J POST, 2010
