An Israeli court on Wednesday rejected an appeal seeking the release of two foreign activists detained after Israeli forces illegally intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters, prompting rights groups to denounce the ruling as unlawful.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were among dozens of activists aboard a flotilla intercepted in international waters off the coast of Greece on Thursday.
The two were seized by Israeli forces and brought to Israel for questioning, while the others were taken to the Greek island of Crete and released.
On Tuesday, an Israeli court extended their detention until Sunday to allow police more time to interrogate them, according to their lawyers.
The lawyers then filed an appeal at the Beersheva district court against the detention, but it was rejected.
"Today, the district court of Beersheva denied our appeal and basically accepted all of the arguments that the state or the police have represented before the court and kept the previous decision," lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih said.
The two activists, who are on a hunger strike, had appeared in the district court with their feet shackled, an AFP journalist saw.
Abu Keshek looked exhausted and sat with his hands clasped in his lap, while Avila appeared calm.
Abu Salih said her clients had been subjected to "an illegal arrest that took place in international waters where the activists were kidnapped by the Israeli navy without any authority."
She went on to criticize the courts for "giving a free hand for the Israeli forces... to do it again and again."
Israeli rights group Adalah, which is representing the pair, called Wednesday's court decision "unlawful and unreasonable."
"This is especially egregious given that the activists were abducted from an Italian-flagged vessel, placing them under Italian jurisdiction," it said.
Adalah has also accused the authorities of subjecting the men to continuous abuse in detention, including keeping Avila in a cold cell.
Abu Salih said Abu Keshek reported giving up water as well as food, and that the two men said authorities "keep interrogating them for most of the time, most of the day" about the flotilla, she added.
Israeli authorities have rejected the allegations of abuse but have filed no charges against the men.
Adalah said authorities have accused the pair of "assisting the enemy during wartime" and "membership in and providing services to a terrorist organization."
Spain, Brazil and the United Nations have called for their swift release.
"It is not a crime to show solidarity and attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, who are in dire need of it," U.N. rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement.
The flotilla had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking Israel's blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an unlawful Israeli blockade since 2007.
