Concern for Scots academic on Gaza aid flotilla intercepted by Israel
Group calls for ‘prompt release’ of University of St Andrews geographer
A group of the Jewish academics in Scotland has expressed “deep concern” after a senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews was detained by the Israeli military.
Dr Antonis Vradis, a geographer at the Fife institution, was among hundreds of people taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) in an attempt to deliver aid to Gaza.
However, organisers of the flotilla said the boat on which Dr Vardis was travelling - La Cirena - was among a series of vessels to have been “illegally and violently intercepted.”
It is understood it was one of several dozen vessels that were intercepted off the coast of Cyprus earlier this week, sparking concern for those taking part.
On Wednesday, Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said that those involved in the flotilla should remain in prison for a “long, long time.”
Now, the Scottish Universities Jewish Staff Network has called for action to secure the safe return of Dr Vardis.
In a statement, it said: “In the light of substantial evidence that those seized from previous aid flotillas have been mistreated, been subjected to sexual abuse and even tortured while in detention, we are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Dr Vradis.
“Accordingly, we have called on the UK and Scottish governments to act promptly to ensure that our colleague is not subjected to abuse and is promptly released.”
The group added that as Jewish academics, it felt a "particular responsibility" to speak out against the Israeli government, which it said was “falsely” claiming to be acting for the protection of Jewish people.
“Israeli actions - both against the people of Gaza and those, like Antonis, with the courage to put themselves at risk through their humanitarian support for Gazans - are a violation of the beliefs and values we hold dear,” it explained.
“For us, and in the light of our history, the slogan ‘never again’, means standing up against all forms of inhumanity, whoever the victims might be, and standing up for those who challenge inhumanity, whoever they might be.
“Accordingly, we have urged our governments to protest the overall Israeli actions against the flotilla and its ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid getting into Gaza.”
Video released by Mr Ben-Gvir showed the minister walking among some of the approximately 430 detained activists flanked by police and soldiers as he waved a large Israeli flag and told them, “welcome to Israel , we are the landlords.”
One handcuffed activist shown in the video shouting, “Free Palestine” as Mr Ben-Gvir was walking past, was immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel.
The video showed activists with their hands tied behind their back kneeling with their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area at Ashdod port and on the deck of a ship.
In a second video, Mr Ben-Gvir says the activists “came here all full of pride like big heroes ... look at them now,” while appealing to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to grant him permission to imprison them.
“I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu, give them to me for a long, long time, give them to us for the terrorist prisons, that's what it should look like,” Mr Ben-Gvir said.
However, an Israel -based legal advocacy group, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel , or Adalah, accused Israeli authorities of “employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists.”
Adalah said in a statement that this followed similar patterns of ill-treatment by Israeli authorities against activists in previous flotilla missions “for which Israel faced zero accountability.” The group said that its lawyers and other volunteers were providing legal advice to activists at Ashdod and were demanding their immediate release.
“The international community must take urgent measures to protect the flotilla members against this brutal and illegal conduct by Israeli officials,” the group said.
The GSF organisers have alleged that at least five of its boats had been shot at by Israeli forces this week. However, the Israeli foreign ministry has said no live ammunition was fired, and that “non-lethal means” were aimed at the vessels as a warning, but without targeting or injuring protesters. Il has called the flotilla “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” with no real intent to deliver aid to Gaza.
The GSF condemned the interception of the La Cirena, stressing that its volunteers had been undertaking a “legitimate mission to break the illegal siege on Gaza and open a humanitarian corridor.”
It added: “We are outraged by the normalisation of these violations of international maritime law and the kidnapping of peaceful civilians in international waters. We demand the immediate release of our participants, the safe passage of our entire fleet, and an end to the illegal siege of Gaza.”
Israeli forces had begun stopping the flotilla around 167 miles from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla's website. The vessels departed last week from Turkey .
Detained activists involved in the flotilla arrived in the port city of Ashdod aboard Israeli naval ships on Wednesday.
Last October, a group of Scottish activists were detained by Israel as part of a previous GSF aid effort bound for Gaza, which is under an Israeli maritime blockade.
The Scots, Margaret Pacetta, Yvonne Ridley, Jim Hickey, and Sid Khan, were eventually released, but Ms Pacetta described the experience as “pretty scary,” and claimed Israeli soldiers pointed guns at them.
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