By IBRAHIM HAZBOUN and RENATA BRITO

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli naval forces boarded most of the vessels in a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza on Thursday and detained dozens aboard, including European lawmakers, drawing widespread condemnation.

The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of people.

Activists had said they hoped that the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all — but Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.

Widespread protests

Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities after news of the interception broke — including in Rome; Istanbul; Athens, Greece; and Buenos Aires, Argentina — to decry the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip.

In the northern Italian city of Bologna, dozens of protesters and university students scuffled with police outside the city’s central train station. Police in riot gear used batons to push back the protesters who were trying to occupy the train station and chanting “Free Palestine” and “Shame on you”. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday.

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The flotilla, which started out with more than 40 boats and nearly 450 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Its main goal, they said, remained “to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed it as a “provocation,” saying that various countries have offered to deliver the aid the boats were carrying. Israel has come under intense criticism for how much aid it lets into Gaza and how it distributes the goods. It has vehemently denied it is committing genocide.

The organizers of the flotilla said at least 39 of their boats were intercepted or assumed intercepted in a nightlong Israeli operation. Israeli authorities later said only one boat remained “at a distance” and would be intercepted if it approached.

The flotilla has streamed its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats, though connections were lost as Israeli authorities began boarding them in international waters on Wednesday evening.

An ongoing war and an even longer blockade

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered this war. Fighters killed some 1,200 people that day, while 251 others were abducted. Forty-eight hostages are still held in Gaza — around 20 believed to be alive.

Israel’s ensuing campaign has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its toll. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and whose figures are viewed by experts as the most reliable estimate, has said women and children make up around half the dead.

Israel has maintained varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power in 2007, saying it is necessary to contain the group. Critics deride the policy as collective punishment.

After the war started, Israel tightened the blockade but eased up later under U.S. pressure. In March, it sealed the territory off from all food, medicine and other goods for 2 ½ months, contributing to Gaza’s slide into famine.

The flotilla said it wanted to establish a humanitarian corridor by sea, given the little aid that was reaching Gaza by land.

Activists and European lawmakers detained

Israeli forces detained and removed dozens of people — including Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and European Parliament member Rima Hassan — from the flotilla.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of some of the activists detainees saying in a statement on X that they were “safe and in good health” and would be transferred to Israel for deportation.

Earlier, live broadcasts from the activists showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before troops boarded the flotilla.

Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their cellphones before tossing their devices into the sea.

Many decry flotilla’s interception

Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan and others condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla.

Italy, France, Poland and other European nations, which had warned the activists not to continue the journey and avoid confrontation with Israel, said they were working with Israeli diplomatic authorities to ensure their citizens were transferred to land and deported home swiftly.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel’s staunchest allies, on Thursday slammed Italian unions for their decision to call a general strike on Friday in solidarity with the flotilla.

“I continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people. On the other hand, I understand that it will bring a lot of problems to Italian citizens,” Meloni told reporters upon her arrival in Copenhagen for a summit.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described the interceptions as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law in a statement late Wednesday.

The detention of activists was part of Israel’s “ongoing aggression,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said, adding that Israel’s blockade of Gaza had caused “immense suffering” for more than 2 million Palestinians in the strip.

Israel has argued its actions constitute a lawful naval blockade needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.

Whether the blockade is militarily justified is a point of contention. But the flotilla argues they are a civilian, unarmed group and that the passage of humanitarian aid is guaranteed under international law.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced late Wednesday that his government would expel Israel’s diplomatic delegation in the South American country and terminate a free trade agreement with Israel over the interception. Two Colombian citizens are taking part in the flotilla.

Petro has repeatedly described Israel’s siege of Gaza as an act of genocide, something Israel vehemently denies.

Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press journalists Giada Zampano in Rome; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.

LONDON — It wasn’t easy being an NFL fan living in England in the early 1980s. The highlights shown locally were from the previous week. The only live NFL television broadcast was of Super Bowl XVII.

No matter. It was still enough to pique the interest of lifelong England resident Peter Philip.

Longtime Minnesota Vikings fan Peter Philip with his daughter Alison on Sept. 18, 2016 before the first home game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He is a season ticket member living in the UK. (Courtesy of Peter Philip)

He followed along in1982 when the highlights started being shown, then, in 1983, he attended the exhibition game between the Vikings and the St. Louis Cardinals at Wembley Stadium in London.

“I got tickets for that and I thought, If I’m going to go, I need to pick a team to support,” Philip said. “I picked the Vikings and we went from there.”

After the Vikings earned a 28-10 win over the Cardinals, Philip, now 63, was hooked. He kept up as much as he could from afar, watching the highlights on a weekly despite the fact they were delayed. He later discovered the best option was listening to the live radio broadcast on the American Forces Network.

“You’d be listening to a play and then the signal would disappear,” Philip said. “It would come back 15 or 20 seconds later and the play was finished.”

The next time Philip saw the Vikings in person came in 1999, when he traveled to the United States to watch them play the Atlanta Falcons on the road in a highly anticipated rematch of the heartbreaking NFC Championship Game.

“That was the first time I’d seen them stateside,” Philip said. “My wife at the time said, ‘How about next year we see if we can go to a game in Minnesota?’ ”

They attended their first game together when the Vikings hosted Buffalo Bills at the Metrodome in 2000 and began making an annual trip to the Twin Cities until his wife’s cancer diagnosis stopped them from traveling as much.

“She always told me if anything happens to her that I had to get season tickets,” Philip said. “I said, ‘No I wouldn’t do that.’ ”

She passed away in 2014. He bought season tickets in 2015.

“I came over with my daughter because she never seen the Vikings and she wanted to go,” Philip said. “I think the attraction was also the Mall of America.”

After watching the Vikings play host to the Detroit Lions at TCF Bank Stadium, Philip remembers his daughter encouraging him to see about buying season tickets. That did it. They returned in 2016 to see the Vikings host the Green Bay Packers in the first home game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Never mind that Philip still lives in Sandhurst, England, roughly 35 miles outside of London. He has still managed to get to at least one game per year for the past decade. He usually sells the rest to cover the cost.

The entry point to the Vikings was similar for lifelong England resident Geoff Reader, who also attended that exhibition game at Wembley Stadium.

Longtime Minnesota Vikings fan Geoff Reader with his friend Jen during a tailgate, date and location unknown. He is a season ticket member living in the UK. (Courtesy Geoff Reader)

“I went with a friend,” Reader said. “W,e decided to have a bet as to which team would win. I picked the Vikings. They won and I’ve been with them ever since.”

After watching the Vikings play the Cardinals in London, Reader also saw them play the Chicago Bears in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1988. He then made a tip to the United States in 1989 and made it a double-header; he saw the Vikings play the Houston Oilers at the Metrodome, then play the Bears at Soldier Field. He became a season ticket member in 1994.

“There have been some years where I have gone to every home game,” Reader said. “I have proof of it on my passport.”

Though many would assume the best home game he’s seen is the Minneapolis Miracle, Reader said the highlight was actually when hall of fame quarterback Brett Favre hitting journeyman receiver Greg Lewis in the end zone to beat the San Francisco 49ers at the buzzer.

“That was bonkers,” Reader said. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow. We’ve got a quarterback.’ ”

The fandom has continued over the past few decades, evidenced by how Reader, now 64, has been to every home game so far this season despite living in Bedford, England, 50 miles north of London.

As for Philip, he will be in the stands at U.S. Bank Stadium in a couple of months, sitting in his usual seat when the Vikings play the Washington Commanders.

“I love it,” Philip said. “I enjoy coming to Minneapolis and going to U.S. Bank Stadium and being with all the fans. I’m happy no matter what happens in the game. If we come away with a win, it’s even better.”

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By AAMER MADHANI and COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is asking nine major universities to commit to President Donald Trump’s political priorities in exchange for more favorable access to federal money.

Universities were asked to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” committing them to adopt the White House’s vision for America’s campuses. It asks the schools to accept the government’s priorities on admissions, women’s sports, free speech, student discipline and college affordability, among other topics.

FILE – Students cross the campus of Dartmouth College, March 5, 2024, in Hanover, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Signing on would give universities priority access to some federal grants, but government money would not be limited solely to those schools, according to a White House official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the plan and spoke on condition of anonymity. Colleges that agree would also have priority access to White House events and discussions with officials.

The compact, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, asks universities to accept the government’s definition of gender and apply it to campus bathrooms, locker rooms and women’s sports teams. It asks colleges to stop considering race, gender and a wide range of other student demographics in the admissions process and to require undergraduate applicants to take the SAT or ACT.

The 10-page proposed agreement was sent Wednesday to some of the most selective public and private universities: Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia. It was not clear how these schools were selected or why, and whether similar offers might go out to other colleges.

Leaders of the Texas system were “honored” that the Austin campus was chosen to be a part of the compact and its “potential funding advantages,” according to a statement from Kevin Eltife, chair of the Board of Regents. “Today we welcome the new opportunity presented to us and we look forward to working with the Trump Administration on it,” Eltife said.

Representatives from the other colleges did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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The administration has used its control of federal funding as leverage at several other colleges, cutting off research money at schools including Harvard and Columbia as it has sought changes to the schools’ governance and policies.

Under the compact, international enrollment would have to be capped at 15% of a college’s undergraduate student body — many elite schools are now above that — and no more than 5% could come from a single country.

Schools that sign on would have to cap tuition for U.S. students for five years and the wealthiest campuses would not charge tuition at all for students pursuing “hard science programs.”

On free speech, schools would have to commit to promoting a wide range of views on campus. That includes “transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas,” according to the compact.

Each school would have to commission an annual poll of students and faculty to evaluate the campuses’ adherence to the pact. The terms would be enforced by the Justice Department, with violators losing access to the compact’s benefits for no less than a year. Following violations bump the penalty to two years.

“Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below,” the compact said, “if the institution elects to forego federal benefits.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By TRAVIS LOLLER, Associated Press

A U.S. immigration judge on Wednesday denied a bid for asylum from Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a proxy for the partisan power struggle over immigration policy.

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The judge in the Baltimore immigration court denied an application to reopen Abrego Garcia’s 2019 asylum case, but that is not the final word. Abrego Garcia has 30 days to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The Salvadoran national has an American wife and children and has lived in Maryland for years, but he originally immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager. In 2019, he was arrested by immigration agents. He requested asylum but was not eligible because he had been in the country for more than a year. However, the judge ruled that he could not be deported to El Salvador, where he faced danger from a gang that targeted his family.

When he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March and kept in a notorious prison, his case became a rallying point for those who opposed President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Facing a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, Trump’s Republican administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. in June, only to immediately charge him with human smuggling.

While he faces those criminal charges in Tennessee, based on a 2022 traffic stop, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also seeking to deport him to a third country, proposing Uganda first and then Eswatini. His attorneys have denounced the criminal charges and the deportation efforts, saying they are an attempt to punish him for standing up to the administration.

Loller reported from Nashville, Tenn.