The photograph published by the Israeli military shows a smiling Greta Thunberg receiving a plastic-packaged sandwich after the intervention at sea. Subsequently, the climate activist Thunberg, known for her opposition to air travel, is shown on a plane deporting her out of the country.
Instead, the footage distributed by the organization behind the activist ship, Freedom Flotilla, shows shaky clips of the Israeli soldiers boarding the ship, which is seen as a violation of international law because the ship was in international waters.
Different descriptions of the events
The descriptions of the events diverge.
It can be concluded that a ship with activists who tried to sail to Gaza with humanitarian aid was boarded by Israeli soldiers in international waters. It is also a fact that Israel blocks humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza. On the other hand, the modest amount of supplies on the ship would hardly have made a significant difference to the hungry population.
Furthermore, there are column meters written about more disputed opinions, such as whether actors with Islamist connections were involved in the action, and whether Israel's intervention in international waters broke international law.
Control of the narrative as part of warfare
The question of who controls the narratives is a fundamental part of modern warfare. The activists' pre-recorded statements about being kidnapped show an awareness of this. Similarly, the fact that Israel chose to board the ship at night and transport the activists without giving them the opportunity to express themselves about what had happened, according to Anders Persson, an expert on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
It's a well-thought-out strategy, no doubt about it, says Persson at Linnéuniversitetet.
It's not just about what's happening in the war in Gaza or in Israel, but it's a conflict about the conflict.
Although discussions are also taking place at the expert level about whether Israel's actions are a violation of international law, Persson sees the debate as primarily identity-political.
People on the left see it mainly as a humanitarian action, that it's very noble activists who want to break the blockade. On the other side, they mean that they have a hidden agenda and are trying to blacken them with Hamas connections.
Sophie Tanha/TT
Facts: Sailed to Gaza – deported by Israel
TT
The ship Madleen set sail from Sicily on June 1, bound for Gaza. The journey was organized by Freedom Flotilla, a movement aimed at breaking Israel's blockade of Gaza.
Eleven activists, including Swedish Greta Thunberg, and a journalist from Al Jazeera were on board, along with humanitarian aid in the form of diapers, infant formula, food, and medical equipment.
At 2 a.m., the night before Monday, Israeli soldiers boarded the ship while it was still in international waters. Israel had previously urged the activists to change course.
The crew was arrested and taken to Israel. They are accused by lawyers representing them of breaking Israel's immigration laws. Four of the activists, including Thunberg, agreed to sign a deportation document and were subsequently deported out of the country. The other eight refused and are still being held in Israeli custody on Wednesday.
