Irish citizen 'beaten' by Israeli forces

AN IRISH citizen said he was beaten on the head and treated badly by Israeli commandos during a raid 10 days ago on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Arriving into Dublin airport yesterday on a flight from Turkey, Al Mahdi Alharati described the Israelis that detained him on the Greek ship as “barbaric”.

The Libyan-born Irish citizen’s journey home was delayed as he was taken to hospital in Ankara, Turkey, because of his injuries, an underlying heart condition and diabetes. “I was hit with . . . rubber bullets in the leg, I was beaten in the groin and over the head. I was hit with the back of a gun on the eye. I was hit with the butt of a machine gun on the back of my head,” he said through a translator.

There were no fatalities on the Greek ship but several activists were beaten. It was part of a six-vessel flotilla which included the Mavi Marmara, on which nine people were killed.

The Israelis “kidnapped” the activists from the boats before they were anywhere near Gaza, he said. They hit women and the elderly and people jumped into the sea from fear, he added.

He described the raid as “terrorism” and “criminality at its highest” and said that the activists had not used force. It was all peaceful, he added.

Despite his injuries, he was happy with the international response to the raid. He thanked the Irish and Turkish governments for helping him through the ordeal.

His wife Eftaima Najjair and his four children Abdul Hamid (9), Mohammed (8), Maryah (16 months) and Sarah (6) waved Palestinian flags and hugged him as he arrived home in the afternoon.

Mrs Najjair was very concerned that her husband wouldn’t receive his medication when she heard that he had been detained by the Israelis.

As a diabetic, he collapsed a number of times in detention because of a lack of food, she said. She and the children were very proud of him for putting himself and his health at risk for the sake of other people. Despite her concern, she felt it had been worth it and would let him go again if necessary.

He was also greeted by other activists including Issam Ben Ali, who was on the Greek ship with him, and Derek Graham who was on board the Irish aid vessel MV Rachel Corrie.

Separately, Irish activist Fiachra O'Luain is seeking the return of his passport from Israeli authorities following his deportation last week. Mr O'Luain was on board the Challenger 1aid flotilla. He said his passport was not returned by Israeli officials at Ben Gurion airport. He has written to Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin urging him to take action.