A Dundee man who had been missing since Israeli commandos intercepted a flotilla of aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip has been transferred to a prison in an Israeli desert, according to information obtained by the Foreign Office.
Ali El-Awaisi (21) was on the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships boarded early on Monday, and his family feared he was among the nine killed and others injured after they lost contact with the fleet.
And last night Israel said the expulsion of activists including more than 40 Britons will begin “immediately.”
All 679 detainees taken off the ships during the military-led action are expected to be deported within 48 hours, a statement on the Israeli prime minister’s office website said.
As commandos stormed the ship, Ali’s older brother Khalid watched the drama unfold from Dundee over a live video feed to the boat until the Israeli troops cut the link.
On Tuesday Khalid confirmed that Ali was among the prisoners transferred to Be’er Sheva prison in the Negev desert.
Earlier, foreign secretary William Hague said 31 British nationals and a further 11 with dual nationality were known to have been detained after the seizure of the vessels as they attempted to breach the Israeli blockade of the territory.
Following a meeting of Israel’s security and diplomatic cabinet, the statement read, “The interior minister announced that the expulsion will begin this evening, and the assessment is that it can be completed in approximately 48 hours.”
The Foreign Office said it is seeking “urgent clarification” of the situation.
Mr Hague had welcomed a statement by the United Nations Security Council calling for a “prompt, impartial, credible and transparent” investigation into the incident.Calls for investigationsHe said, “We look to Israel to co-operate to implement that resolution with a transparent and thorough investigation.”
As the Foreign Office confirmed that 29 of the Britons had received a visit with no complaints about their treatment the foreign secretary said he expected the detained British nationals to be deported by Israel “very quickly.”
The Israeli authorities said 50 of the 679 activists taken off the flotilla had already been taken to Israel’s international airport for deportation.
The rest were being held at the Be’er Sheva detention centre in southern Israel, having refused to identify themselves.
Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the detainees were being treated in line with international practice.
He said, “We are not charging them with anything, we have detained them and we will help them leave our country.”
Despite his joy at hearing of his brother’s safety and an end to the three-day communication blackout, Khalid was furious that Ali remained in captivity.
He said, “Ali is a prisoner together with all the other British and other passengers.
“The woman from the Foreign Office said, ‘Once the Israelis finish with them they will deport them,’ but finish what? They have already interrogated them.”Prisoners’ safety the key concernKhalid said the spokeswoman had said the British prisoners’ safety was the main concern and that dignitaries would be assessing the situation.
As the news of his brother’s safety sunk in, Khalid’s thoughts turned to maintaining local pressure on the government to openly condemn the Israeli actions.
Following the hundreds-strong rally in Dundee’s City Square on Monday, Khalid addressed a public meeting in Dundee University’s Tower Building on Tuesday, where activists discussed their next move.
Organised by Tayside For Justice In Palestine and the Stop The War Coalition, the meeting drew a crowd of 60 people, all keen to put pressure on their politicians.
Khalid thanked the crowd for their support throughout the saga but castigated the government’s response.
He said, “Ali will come back Inshallah. I am sure he will be very grateful to every single one of you for taking your time and having Palestine in your hearts.
“Our aim, though, is not just to free Ali our aim is to free Palestine.”
He added, “Foreign secretary William Hague was begging the Israelis yesterday, ‘please let us have access to these people on the boats’. You don’t beg. You force them to do it so you are not seen as a joker.
“We have to force our governments to do it.”
Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick was unable to attend the meeting but lodged a motion entitled Freedom Flotilla to be discussed in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
In it he called on Holyrood to condemn the actions of the Israeli government in what is considered to be in violation of international law.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user brewbooks.”Innocent people were shot”He demanded the immediate release of Ali El-Awaisi and “all members of the freedom flotilla and an end to the blockade of Gaza.”
Dundee East MSP Shona Robison backed the calls for a UN inquiry, and called on the Israeli government to provide immediate reassurance of the activists’ wellbeing.
On Monday both Dundee MPs Jim McGovern and Stewart Hosie wrote to Mr Hague calling on him to demand the safe passage of the aid ship prisoners.
Ron McKay, a member of the Viva Palestina activist group and George Galloway’s assistant, openly condemned the Israeli attack last night.
Speaking to The Courier from Houston, Texas, he said, “We have been on the phone repeatedly trying to get as much information as we can but as well as a physical blockade on Gaza, there’s a blockade on information by the Israelis.”
Viva Palestina has run three previous aid convoys to Gaza, the most recent of which ran into difficulties with the Egyptian authorities.
Mr McKay said, “The Prime Minister of Turkey categorically stated that all of those boats were searched before they started, so there really was no question of them being armed.
“Innocent people were shot.”
Tuesday’s meeting, however, saw the Dundee activists demand more of their politicians none of whom attended.
Dundee University student Paul Kane invited the crowd to lobby their MPs and MSPs in person.
He said, “Politicians need to be held to account. We need them to sign a petition face to face in their surgeries.
“Scotland can’t form its own foreign policy but we can put across our point and get it debated in the Houses of Parliament. It’s not just getting them to sign a declaration but questioning why they won’t.””Innocent people were shot”He demanded the immediate release of Ali El-Awaisi and “all members of the freedom flotilla and an end to the blockade of Gaza.”
Dundee East MSP Shona Robison backed the calls for a UN inquiry, and called on the Israeli government to provide immediate reassurance of the activists’ wellbeing.
On Monday both Dundee MPs Jim McGovern and Stewart Hosie wrote to Mr Hague calling on him to demand the safe passage of the aid ship prisoners.
Ron McKay, a member of the Viva Palestina activist group and George Galloway’s assistant, openly condemned the Israeli attack last night.
Speaking to The Courier from Houston, Texas, he said, “We have been on the phone repeatedly trying to get as much information as we can but as well as a physical blockade on Gaza, there’s a blockade on information by the Israelis.”
Viva Palestina has run three previous aid convoys to Gaza, the most recent of which ran into difficulties with the Egyptian authorities.
Mr McKay said, “The Prime Minister of Turkey categorically stated that all of those boats were searched before they started, so there really was no question of them being armed.
“Innocent people were shot.”
Tuesday’s meeting, however, saw the Dundee activists demand more of their politicians none of whom attended.
Dundee University student Paul Kane invited the crowd to lobby their MPs and MSPs in person.
He said, “Politicians need to be held to account. We need them to sign a petition face to face in their surgeries.
“Scotland can’t form its own foreign policy but we can put across our point and get it debated in the Houses of Parliament. It’s not just getting them to sign a declaration but questioning why they won’t.”