Israeli minister slammed by the West, Netanyahu for taunting detained flotilla activists on camera

Posted on by Taiwo Adebulu

A video shared by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, that showed him taunting detained flotilla activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs, has reportedly sparked widespread condemnation from several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada.

He also drew a sharp rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Ben-Gvir’s actions were “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”

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While walking among 430 detainees, whose hands were tied behind their backs as they knelt to the ground, and their heads touched the floor inside a makeshift detention area, Ben-Gvir, waving an Israeli flag, said, “Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords.”

The minister’s comment was met with fury by one of the handcuffed activists, who shouted, “Free Palestine.” However, he was immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel, the BBC reported.

In a second video, Ben-Gvir said the activists “came here all full of pride like big heroes. Look at them now”, while appealing to Netanyahu to grant him permission to imprison them.

How have countries reacted?

United States: The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called Ben-Gvir’s actions “despicable”.

Taking over X. Huckabee wrote: “Universal outrage & condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official, from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Sa’ar, Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog, and Ambassador Yechiel Leiter for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was a stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed the dignity of his nation.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, called out the “reckless grandstanding”, claiming that the flotilla activists would be deported to their home countries.

“As Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have made clear, Itamar Ben Gvir’s reckless grandstanding is not representative of government policy. I am Israel’s top diplomat in the US, at the heart of our most important alliance. Ben Gvir’s antics take a sledgehammer to our diplomatic efforts while Israel’s enemies gleefully jump on every unfortunate nonsense to discredit and demonize. The provocateurs of the Flotilla charade were properly detained in accordance with international law and will be deported to their home countries. End of story,” Leiter wrote on X.

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United Kingdom: UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed the appalling video showed “totally disgraceful scenes”.

“This violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated,” she wrote on the social media platform.

She also sent a summons to the Israeli embassy, demanding an “urgent explanation”, and underlined that the government was “in touch with the families of a number of British nationals involved to provide them with consular support”.

Canada: Describing Israel’s treatment of the flotilla activists as “abominable”, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney instructed officials to “summon the Israeli ambassador to demand assurances regarding the safety and security of Canadians involved.”

“The protection of civilians and respect for human dignity must be upheld everywhere, at all times,” Carney wrote over a post on X.

Other countries such as Australia, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, too, called Ben-Gvir’s actions “unacceptable” and summoned their respective Israeli ambassadors.

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Ireland: Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said the footage showed that “illegally detained participants” of the Flotilla, including some Irish citizens.

Citing that they were “not in any way being treated with appropriate dignity or respect,” McEntee demanded their immediate release.

Israel: Israel’s Foreign Minister Gidon Sa’ar too came down heavily on the far-right leader.

“You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display – and not for the first time,” Sa’ar wrote. “You have undone tremendous, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people – from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others. No, you are not the face of Israel,” he wrote over X.

Ben-Gvir hit back at him, saying, “There are those in the government who still haven’t figured out how to behave toward supporters of terrorism. Israel’s Foreign Minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a pushover. Anyone who comes to our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get slapped, and we won’t turn the other cheek.”

Italy: Condemning the detained activists’ treatment as a violation of human dignity, Italy called Ben-Gvir’s videos “unacceptable.”

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It also summoned Israel’s ambassador in Rome to protest the treatment of Italian detainees and demanded their immediate release.

Turkey: Turkey also condemned Israel’s treatment of the activists, with its foreign minister saying Ben-Gvir’s behaviour “openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mindset” of Israel’s government.

Greece: The Greek Foreign Ministry also called Ben-Gvir’s actions “unacceptable and entirely condemnable” and said it had lodged a formal protest.

How Hamas responded

Palestinian militant group Hamas called out Ben-Gvir for the “scenes of abuse and humiliation” of the activists, saying they show Israel’s “moral decadence and sadism.”

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