Spanish Minister Says Israel Will
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP/TT

Spanish Minister Says Israel Will Release Swedish Activist

Spanish-Swedish activist Saif Abukeshek will be released by Israel within hours, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said, according to Madrid media.

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Albares says Israeli authorities have announced that Abukeshek will be deported via the Taba crossing to Egypt for onward travel to Spain.

Saif Abukeshek was arrested by Israeli forces along with a Brazilian activist in international waters in an operation against the Global Sumud Flotilla, an initiative to reach the Gaza Strip with emergency aid by sea.

Spain, together with the UN among others, has protested more strongly than Sweden against the detention of Abukeshek, who holds Swedish and Spanish citizenship.

Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) told TT that other countries have made different assessments than Sweden.

"Currently we are at such an early stage that we want to ensure his rights are met here and now and that we are granted consular access, and we have been granted that," she said on Friday.

"It has not yet been made clear what he is accused of, and therefore it is difficult for us at this point to comment on it."

Israel has, among other things, claimed that Abukeshek is a member of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which the country has classified as a terrorist organization.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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