On June 9, the Israeli navy intercepted the Madleen approximately 125 nautical miles off Gaza and escorted it to Ashdod. They identified it as attempting to breach Israel’s legal naval blockade.
Greta Thunberg claimed to have been kidnapped. She was in custody less than 24 hours. She signed a form for voluntary removal and was deported. That is not how hostages work, as those still held in Gaza will attest. Three of her compatriots accepted deportation along with her. The remaining eight crew members are contesting their deportation in Israel, choosing not to leave they too would appear to be ‘hostages’.
Thunberg was sent (1) on a plane [fossil fuels] (2) via El Al, in an epic troll by the Israeli Defense Forces. She flew economy.
Israeli Police have placed Greta Thunberg on an El Al Flight bound for Sweden from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel-Aviv. pic.twitter.com/MF0Dl2IHhW
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 10, 2025
Greta Thunberg spotted on an El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Paris after being DEPORTED from Israel.
The climate change activist will contribute an estimated 546.6 kg of CO2 emissions from the flight. pic.twitter.com/WAGPXjFXr9
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) June 10, 2025
Well, looks like France “kidnapped” Greta on arrival . pic.twitter.com/pm3vyAjeNV
— miha schwartzenberg (@mihaschw) June 10, 2025
Her pro-Hamas propaganda stunt, a “selfie yacht” meant to deliver aid to Gaza, in fact carried very little aid. Under Israeli custody she was treated kindly and deported, in contrast to hostages held by Hamas.
While in custody she refused to view footage of what actually occurred on October 7th, and remains silent on Hamas stealing what aid gets delivered – and beating Palestinians who do not turn over the supplies.
The retarded little nazi is lucky we didn’t blow up the ship
I’d have let her and her friends into Gaza to see what real hostage life is like.
The 8 still there can still be delivered. But a few nights in jail might be OK. They can room with the Hamas prisoners.
US tax dollars well spent for her flight and the whole propaganda operation
A near perfect solution to a stupid stunt.
@Doug: such a tough little boy. You one of Epstein’s boys for his friends?
“Israel’s legal naval blockade”
Many, many citations needed.
It’s not nice to troll mentally retarded children.
@Ray
I do not understand the reference to Epstein…no idea how this is connected
I proudly served in the IDF if that is what concerns you
Missed opportunity for BiBi as I think Greta would have been welcomed by the residents of Gaza in a regal way
She’s a moron.
Click bait. Nothing more than click bait.
@Gary if your aim is civilized, intelligent conversation about the travel and aviation industries articles like this are not going to cut it. And while I respect everyone’s right to have whatever opinion they want, keeping posts on here that call for violence against an individual or group is not a good look for you. It gives the impression that you either condone or passively support such behaviors. I really hope that is not the case.
I tend to agree with columnist Tom Friedman’s nuanced views on the subject.
At this point, it feels like a ‘forever-war,’ just to keep the current prime minister in-power. Like, will there ever actually be accountability for the obvious security lapses that lead to October 7? Nope.
His recent idea of arming Shin Bet is dumb. Should re-watch Charlie Wilson’s War (see arming of the ‘mujahideen’).
As it relates to travel, I’ve wanted to visit for a while, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. It’s just not worth the risks these days.
@Doug as a former member of the IDF do you honestly feel you are objective opinion in your POV?
How would you feel if someone on here advocated for violence against people supporting Israel? Be honest, you’d set the lawn on fire.
That is punishment for Greta, forced to fly back instead of a sailboat or bicycle! Oh, the carbon emissions!
She is smart to leave instead of going through the court deportation proceedings.
Did someone really bring up Tom Friedman’s name here? The same blind guy where facts don’t change his viewpoint after 30 years?
Why didn’t this misguided activist donate the money it took to organize her vanity trip/publicity stunt to feeding the poor in Gaza?
@1990 I would not feel unsafe visiting Israel. That Iron Dome is pretty darn effective…and, sadly, necessary. Israel’s internal safety and security is second to none.
I am always reminded of the phrase “war is good for business.” It’s even more tragic when you think about how people suffer from the effects of war…on both sides.
Good news for Greta after she signed the form for her voluntary removal and was deported by the Israeli Defense Forces. Greta’s deportation may help her earn valuable Delta Air Lines frequent flyer miles, so in the future, she can travel on a premium airline like Delta. Here is why. The Matmid Frequent Flyer Club is EL AL’s customer loyalty program. As part of the FFP agreement, EL AL Matmid Frequent Flyer members can earn Points and Diamonds on Delta Air Lines flights with a DL code operated exclusively by Delta Air Lines.
The Points and Diamonds amount depends on the flight distance in miles and the booking class for which the flight ticket was purchased. Greta should know that Points and Diamonds for flights with partner airlines can be earned in only one frequent flyer account. Therefore, she must choose whether to earn frequent flyer benefits in an El Al Matmid Frequent Flyer account or the partner airline’s frequent flyer account, as double earning is prohibited.
@1990
“As it relates to travel, I’ve wanted to visit for a while, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. It’s just not worth the risks these days.”
Israel is an incredibly safe country, probably more than most Western countries. You would be orders of magnitude safer walking around Jerusalem or Tel Aviv than any major US city
A lot of sick comments here. By all means let’s laugh at Greta Thunberg while completely ignoring the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians who have been — and continue to be — slaughtered by indiscriminate Israeli bombing.
Virtually the entire world is appalled at the way Israel chose to respond to October 7, but “look over here, look over here” at Thunberg. Whatever makes you ghouls feel better about yourselves I suppose. LOLZ.
Gary, you’re entitled to your political opinions about Israel as we all are, but when you post things like this — being nasty, snarky and inviting the usual ghouls to weigh in — you really make me think twice about continuing to visit your site.
Must be this twit was feeling unnoticed and had to pull this to remind everyone she is still out there somewhere, lurking and waiting for recognition from someone. Too bad we don’t care about her. She was truly annoying but at least in her latest video she was not the bug eyed screamer she was in the past.
@Parker and @1990
Not only is the iron dome effective (and yes, necessary), but it is mostly to keep safe the residents in Southern Israel near the Gaza border.
While I think tourists would get a lot more out of their trip if they saw firsthand places like Sderot, the kibbutzes that were attacked, and the site of the Nova music festival, odds are they’ll be nowhere near those places.
But even those places, right next to the Gaza border, are probably safer than many neighborhoods in Chicago or LA
I like where @Ken A’s head is at. Never hurts to get your status and a few pointies, even when deported, so long as it’s on an airline alliance that fits your travel lifestyle. If Greta gets hooked on miles like many of us, who knows, she may have to do this again (and again). Now that’s status!
@Aaron S. — If you’re ‘with her’ cause, the good news is that Gary’s posting about this ironically helps to promote it, for better or worse. So, you really should be saying, ‘keep it going, Gary!’
@Parker — Glad to hear. From NYC, we have quite a few nonstop options (UA, DL, El Al, and Akira). A little surprised that American has not restarted yet.
@Rob — I was under the impression that the Iron Dome has defended against attacks from nearly all directions, not just Gaza, like especially Hezbollah (from the north), but also Iran, Syria, and Yemen, too. As to your reference of American cities, Chicago and Los Angeles areas are just fine (even with these recent ‘manufactured crises,’ specifically in Paramount, downtown LA); recall that Memphis and St. Louis often appearing at the top of such lists for ‘dangerous’ cities in the USA.
I am proud of her. At least she tried to do something. Unlike so many cowardly politicians.
@Gary – I do not understand why you state that Thunberg is “pro-Hamas.” She is certainly pro-Palestinian and anti-starvation in Gaza, but to equate the humanitarian “propaganda stunt” of food delivery with supporting Hamas is a logical leap so contorted that it sounds as if it came out of the mouth of Dear Leader.
I also do not understand why this post is on a travel blog. Not germane. At all.
@Bob Not Bob — Yeah, it’s not too far from G.W.B.’s ‘you’re either with us, or you’re with the terrorists…’ (2002), which was arguably ‘wrong,’ then, too. Didn’t we rename French fries? Sheesh.
Relatedly, as far as ‘travel blogs’ and ‘relevancy,’ I’m still surprised Gary never posted on the Qatari’s 747 gift to ‘Dear Leader’ (oof, the conflict of interests there… like, doesn’t Qatar practically host Hamas these days?) I mean, a 747 is aviation-related…
Eh, it’s his site, after all; so, he can do as he wishes.
@Parker – Nicely said in your original comment.
Odd that so many are posting that Israel is remarkably safe, safer than much of the US and yet, they still feel the need to continue slaughtering innocent civilians to make it more safe. Which is it, completely safe or on the brink of annihilation?
@gary After 19 months, it is still sad that you are an active supporter of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians.
BTW: Israel broke international law by intercepting a ship sailing in international waters. We would not tolerate this from any country. But of course, Israel is considered above International Law, they can commit war crimes and genocide without any accountability.
How dare you?!?!?
LOL
She’s the perfect poster child for the current radical left. Totally nuts, and there’s no hope for its future.
“@Rob — I was under the impression that the Iron Dome has defended against attacks from nearly all directions, not just Gaza, like especially Hezbollah (from the north), but also Iran, Syria, and Yemen, too.”
It might intercept some Hezbollah missile, but don’t think it’s meant to intercept long range missiles from Yemen or Iran. They have other ways of downing those missiles.
Nevertheless, missiles from Yemen and Iran are extremely rare. Almost a negligible chance of happening. And in the extremely rare chance it does happen, Israel goes overboard in keeping it’s people safe. I don’t believe anyone has ever been seriously harmed from a missile coming from Iran or Yemen.
@Aaron Gold – no, Israel is enforcing a blockade recognized under international law.
See, first, The San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea (1994) reflecting customary international law on naval wafare. Blockades must be declared and notified, applied impartially, and not bar passage to neutral ports. Vessels breaching a lawful blockade can be intercepted and captured in international waters (provided the vessel clearly intends to breach the blockade and refuses warnings to desist).
Second, Israel’s blockade of Gaza was supported as legal in the U.N. Palmer Report (2011) led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer. The interception of ships attempting to breach the blockade, even in international waters, was deemed legal if warnings were issued and attempts to evade were evident.
Customary international law allows warships enforcing a blockade to intercept vessels outside territorial waters if these vessels are suspected of blockade-running.
Respectfully, the mere fact that this took place in international waters does not mean what you think it means.
Can we all leave this particular feed at this: an incredibly stupid stunt that could have cost lives just to keep her name out there failed spectacularly. To top this publicity stunt, she did it in a region of the world that has been at war over religion and land for over five thousand years.
Leave them alone, Greta. You can not solve other people’s problems for them. I suggest your time would be better spent taking an economics course since you have no concept of how expensive things can be. You may also want to study inyernational law before even thinking of pulling a stunt like this again. The outcome could have beed so very different…
That being said, I think that this particular story should not have been posted anywhere on the web.
On a nice point: it looked like a fairly clean airport and the plane didn’t fall out of the sky.
@Winston – here is the report from the Israel loving UN that states the Naval Blockade is legal – hope that helps
@Winston – here is the report from the Israel loving UN that states the Naval Blockade is legal – hope that helps
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/720841?ln=fr&v=pdf
Greta’s parents mush be so proud of the great job they did parenting this spoiled, ego-centric brat!
So Greta refused to view footage on what actually happened on the 7th of October? That means she is willingly ignorant (legal term “willful blindness”) and she is more interested in promoting an agenda and narrative and she is not at all interested in the truth.
Greta is the typical whyte liberal.
Retarded
Greta called the videos that the Palestinians gleefully recorded and shared of themselves raping, murdering, mutilating hundreds of civilians “propaganda videos”. She is beyond redemption and so are anyone supporting the supposedly “poor” Palestinians who love nothing more than murdering Jews, which is why they have said no to every peace deal, because they don’t want peace, they just want no Jews.
Don’t take my word for it, just ask them. Poll after poll after poll. Support for Hamas only went up after 10/7. No one denounced it. All of them are seen on video cheering and praising Allah upon seeing of the mutilated bodies of Israeli (and Thai) civilians. They are disgusting terrorists.
Don’t let the propaganda fool you. The MSM and European governments (and of course the lovely UN conglomerate of dictatorships (who is the head of the Human Rights commission? Saudi Arabia? Qatar? China? Women Rights? Iran?)) are gleefully pumping out Hamas propaganda worldwide with outrageous fake news.
Ive always wondered if you can earn miles on a repatriation ticket.. hmm
@ 1990 –
My apologies for this petty point, but I appreciate the chuckle re: “Akira” service TLV-JFK,
I’m assuming you meant “Arkia”. Unless the former is a new wet lease operation that Arkia contracts with ! Given my contemporary music ignorance, “Akira” sounds like the latest pop Latin artist to grace the scene ! ….( I know, I have an ‘obtuse’ sense of humor)..
No worries, it’s just a simple typo, not indicative of dyslexia !
We need a little levity, given this heartbreaking & intractable topic ,,,
@GaryLeff Just to be a bit more accurate, Israel and Egypt maintain a naval and land blockade of Gaza. People tend to overlook that Gaza has a maritime and land border with Egypt, which is one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world.
Whatever happened to the boat is immaterial. The objective was accomplished – to draw attention to Israel using starvation as a tool. Gary, I am Jewish too, and you are guilty of conflation of concepts. You can be pro-Palestine without being pro-Hamas (I am). You can be horrified by the actions of Israel while not being antisemitic (I am). There’s nuance to the accusation of starvation and deprivation, but ultimately as a Jew I am appalled that food and basic medicine are tools that are being used under the banner of the removal of Hamas, as if a savage organization like Hamas is going to be compelled by the starvation or deprivation of its people to do anything. All Israel is doing is creating mountains of human collateral damage and desperation. I support Israel’s right to exist, but I expect so much more from it, and won’t return until I see its bright light start to shine again.
Gary will of course ignore fhe “gift” from Qatar to his Dear Leader. Guess he gets paid to look the other way when it comes to Dear Leader
@bossa — Bah! Yes, typo.
@Walter Barry — Nah.
@747always — The cognitive dissonance on that ‘gift’ is striking. Like, I guess the President is just that transactional. Shiny thing. He wants. Doesn’t matter who they harbor. I mean, I suppose Qatar shouldn’t be upset when He doesn’t remember the gift. Or, it’s just one big microphone with four engines attached.
@747always – I have consistently criticized Trump since he first became a candidate in 2015, I did a dedicated piece on his shutting down DCA airport for his birthday, I genuinely don’t know what you’re on about