Who Gets Caged, Who Gets Re-armed
Israel said Friday that all 175 activists detained when the Navy intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla were freed in Greece except for two activists, Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avilo, while a new cohort of ultra-Orthodox soldiers enlisted in the IDF on Sunday and protests in Tel Aviv denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government as a "government of debacle and disaster." The same apparatus that detains activists and expands its military machine is also managing public dissent and conscription, with the people at the bottom left to absorb the consequences.
Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, said, "The state asked to extend their detention by four days." Adalah said its lawyers had met the two detained activists at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon, where Avila told them he had been "subjected to extreme brutality," adding that he was "dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice." Adalah said Avila also said he had been "kept in isolation and blindfolded." The group said Abu Keshek was also "hand-tied and blindfolded… and forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure" until reaching Israel.
The Detention Machine
The facts laid out by Adalah describe the familiar choreography of state repression: seizure, isolation, blindfolding, and a prison system that keeps the machinery out of public view. The rights group said its lawyers met the two activists at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon, where the men described what happened after the Navy intercepted the Gaza-bound flotilla.
Avilo said he was "subjected to extreme brutality," and said he was "dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice." He also said he had been "kept in isolation and blindfolded." Abu Keshek, according to Adalah, was "hand-tied and blindfolded… and forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure" until reaching Israel. Those are the details the state would rather keep buried under its language of security.
The Foreign Ministry said the two activists are affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which Washington has accused of "clandestinely acting on behalf of" Hamas. The Foreign Ministry said Abu Keshek is a leading member of the PCPA, and that Avila is also linked to the organization and "suspected of illegal activity." Spain condemned the detention of Avila and rejected the Israeli accusation against him.
What They Call Security
In a separate defense announcement, Israel approved the purchase of two more squadrons of F-35I and F-15IA fighter jets from the United States. The Defense Ministry said the procurement followed lessons learned from the recent Iran war. Over the weekend, a defense procurement committee made up of senior ministers approved a Defense Ministry plan to acquire a fourth F-35I squadron from Lockheed Martin and a second F-15IA squadron from Boeing, in deals valued at tens of billions of shekels.
The ministry said the jets "will serve as a cornerstone of the IDF’s long-term force development, addressing evolving regional threats and preserving Israel’s strategic air superiority." Defense Ministry director general Amir Baram instructed the ministry’s mission to the US to "move forward with finalizing the agreements with American government and military counterparts in the coming period." The aircraft would eventually bring the Israeli Air Force’s F-35I fleet to 100 and F-15IA fleet to 50 in the coming years.
The ministry said Israel currently has 48 F-35I jets, following an initial order of 50, and that another 25 F-35s ordered in 2023 are expected to be delivered starting in 2028. Israel ordered 25 F-15IA jets in 2024, with the first expected to be delivered starting in 2031. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the recent war in Iran "once again demonstrated the Israeli Air Force’s power and its decisive role in protecting Israel." He said, "The lessons of that campaign require us to keep pressing forward on force buildup, to ensure air superiority for decades to come."
The Supply Chain of War
Amir Baram said, "Alongside immediate wartime procurement needs, we have a responsibility to act now to secure the IDF’s military edge ten years from now and beyond." He also said, "Operation Roaring Lion reinforced just how critical the US-Israel strategic relationship is, and how essential advanced air power remains," referring to the recent 40-day conflict with Iran.
Last week, two cargo ships and several planes carrying 6,500 tons of military equipment from the United States, including thousands of munitions and light armored utility vehicles, arrived in Israel. The ships docked at the Haifa and Ashdod ports and were carrying "thousands of air munitions, ground munitions, military trucks, JLTV combat mobility vehicles, and additional equipment," according to the ministry. The 6,500 tons were loaded onto trucks and taken to various military bases across the country.
Baram said the procurement operation "will continue and intensify in the coming weeks." The ministry said that since the start of the war with Iran on February 28, more than 115,600 tons of military equipment have arrived in Israel on 403 flights and 10 ships. Katz said the ministry’s goal is "to ensure that the IDF receives all the necessary means so that it can return to operating at full strength against our enemies at any time and in any place required."
Meanwhile, on Sunday, a new cohort of ultra-Orthodox soldiers enlisted in the IDF, and protests in Tel Aviv denounced Netanyahu and his government as a "government of debacle and disaster." The public gets slogans; the military gets squadrons, cargo ships, and the state’s full attention.