JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right national security minister posted a video on Wednesday showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground, sparking international condemnation.
The video, shared on X by firebrand minister Itamar Ben Gvir, was published after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla’s vessels at sea and began detaining hundreds of foreign activists at the southern port of Ashdod.
The video drew swift international uproar, while Ben Gvir himself was criticized by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Captioned “Welcome to Israel,” the footage shows dozens of activists forced to kneel with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground. At some points, the the Israeli national anthem can he heard playing in the background.
The footage also shows Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists.
British foreign minister Yvette Cooper said she was “truly appalled” by the video, which “violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated.” She added that London has “demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities.”
France said it had summoned the Israeli ambassador over the “unacceptable actions” of Ben Gvir, while Madrid condemned the “monstrous” treatment of activists and said Israel’s charge d’affaires had also been summoned in protest.
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said she was “appalled and shocked” by the video and demanded the immediate release of the activists, among whom is the sister of President Catherine Connolly.
Italy and Greece also individually slammed the treatment of the activists and called for their citizens’ immediate release, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanding an apology from Israel.
Turkiye’s foreign ministry said Ben Gvir had “once again openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mentality of the Netanyahu government.”
Meanwhile, Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said they will summon the Israeli ambassador over a “deeply disturbing” video showing detained activists from the flotilla kneeling with their hands tied, and calling for their immediate release.
“Belgian citizens are among those detained. This situation is unacceptable. It violates the most basic standards of human dignity. All detainees must be treated with dignity and released without delay,” Prevot wrote on X.
The Belgian minister said he asked the Israeli envoy to Belgium be summoned “to express our indignation and ask for explanations.”
Ben Gvir also drew the ire of Netanyahu, who said the minister’s conduct with the activists was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
“I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs (activists) as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also slammed Ben Gvir on X, saying he had “knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display — and not for the first time.”
But Ben Gvir hit back at Saar, saying: “I am proud to be the minister in charge of the organizations that operated today against those supporters of terror.”
“Yes, there will be all sorts of pictures that Gideon Saar does not like, but I think they are a great source of pride,” he added at parliament.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also said Ben Gvir had “betrayed dignity of his nation.”
Breach the blockade
Around 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkiye last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.
The Israeli authorities had said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were en route to Israel, while the Adalah rights group said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there.
Hamas, which controls less than half of Gaza and whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the war in the Palestinian territory, said the footage was evidence of Israeli leaders’ “moral depravity and sadism.”
Adalah also criticized Israeli authorities over the video.
“Israel is employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people,” the group, whose lawyers went to the detention center to meet the detainees, said in a statement.
‘Malicious scheme’
Israel’s foreign ministry had dismissed the flotilla as a publicity stunt serving Hamas.
Netanyahu had earlier denounced it as “a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.”
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
During the Gaza war, the territory suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.
A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, with most activists expelled to Europe.
Two were brought to Israel, detained for several days and then deported.
