Adalah: All Global Sumud Flotilla Activists Released by Israel

All Global Sumud flotilla activists carrying out a humanitarian mission to Gaza have been released from Israel’s Ktziot Prison ahead of deportation, the Israeli human rights group Adalah said.

In a statement on Thursday, Adalah said it had received official confirmation from Israel’s prison service and government officials that all activists detained at the facility had been released and were being moved for deportation.

‘Most of them are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown abroad,’ the group said.

Adalah added that its legal team is ‘actively monitoring the transit process to ensure that all activists are deported safely, without further delay.’

The rights group stressed that the detention of the activists was unlawful.

‘The entire operation, from the illegal interception in international waters to the systematic torture, insults, and arbitrary detention of the activists, is a real violation of international law,’ Adalah said.

Adalah (which means ‘justice’ in Arabic) is a non-profit legal and human rights centre in Israel run by Arab-Palestinian citizens.

The independent Haifa-based organisation focuses specifically on advocacy and protection of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the Arab minority in Israel, as well as Palestinians living in the occupied territories.

This organisation is the only group run by Arab-Palestinian citizens that regularly uses Israel’s judicial system (such as the Supreme Court) to bring strategic litigation.

Adalah was founded by lawyer Hassan Jabareen in November 1996 with a primary focus on protecting the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the Arab minority in Israel, and defending land ownership, housing, and planning rights.

Another key focus of Adalah is opposing laws or government policies in Israel deemed discriminatory, as well as defending the rights of detainees and Palestinians living under occupation under international humanitarian law.