Warsaw, Poland. Poland has summoned the Israeli chargé d’affaires over the detention of Gaza flotilla activists, including Polish nationals, and demanded an apology, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Thursday.
Condemnation and consular access
“Poland firmly condemns the conduct of representatives of the Israeli authorities towards activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by the Israeli army, including Polish citizens,” Sikorski wrote on X.
Sikorski said Poland expected its citizens to be treated in accordance with international standards and that consular officials were seeking access to detainees.
Summons and demand for apology
The Israeli chargé d’affaires had been summoned “to convey our outrage and demand an apology for the extremely inappropriate behavior of a member of the Israeli government,” Sikorski said.
Incident drew international and domestic criticism
The summons followed scenes on Wednesday in which Israeli police forced flotilla activists to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs while an Israeli minister looked on.
The incident drew condemnation from foreign governments and criticism from within Israel’s own government.
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