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The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Tuesday deported the environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg and another activist who had been detained aboard an aid boat bound for Gaza.
Ms. Thunberg and another passenger were flown out of Ben-Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, and two more activists were expected to be sent home later on Tuesday, according to Israeli officials.
Eight other passengers from the vessel, the Madleen, refused to sign deportation documents and were brought before an Israeli immigration tribunal on Tuesday, according to Adalah, an Israeli human rights group and legal center whose lawyers were representing them.
The hearings were held over five hours, the group said in a statement. By Tuesday night, the tribunal had yet to decide whether the eight activists should remain in detention pending their deportation.
Adalah’s lawyers argued that Israel had no lawful authority to detain or deport the activists since they had been in international waters and were transferred to Israel against their will.
“The activists must be released immediately, allowed to re-board their ship, deliver aid to Gaza and return to their countries of origin,” the group said in a statement.
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