Environmental activist turned pro-Palestinian agitator Greta Thunberg insisted Friday she was unaware that individuals aboard the “freedom flotilla” had ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, as questions swirled over who she sailed with.
Thunberg landed in Stockholm and told Swedish media, “I haven’t heard about it or what this person has said.” She explained why she hadn’t vetted her companions: “Because I haven’t had a phone.” When pressed on why she hadn’t investigated further, she responded, “Should I ask exactly everyone what exactly they have said about everything? It would take some time.”
Critics have noted that Zaher Birawi, one organizer aboard the British-flagged Madleen, was called a “Hamas operative” by Labour MP Christian Wakeford in 2023. Birawi leads the Europal Forum—designated a terrorist organization by Israel—and had been photographed with late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Another activist on the mission, Thiago Avila, attended Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral last year and described himself as “inspired” by him.
Despite the controversy, Thunberg received a warm welcome in Sweden. At Arlanda Airport, she was greeted by supporters waving Palestinian flags and offering flowers and a keffiyeh scarf. Of the 12 aboard the Madleen, four—including Thunberg—agreed to deportation, while the remaining eight refused pending legal review.
Before leaving Israel, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) attempted to show Thunberg and her fellow activists the full unaltered footage compiled from the body cameras of the Hamas terrorists who filmed their slaughter of innocents on October 7. Thunberg and her companions all refused.
“It is appropriate that the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
“The anti-Semitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth and have proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children,” he added.
