According to the Jerusalem Post, a political storm has erupted in Israel after a video showing detained Gaza flotilla activists triggered outrage abroad and an unusually sharp rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed at one of his own ministers.…....
At the centre of the controversy is far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who posted footage from Ashdod Port showing dozens of detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla. The video quickly spread online and ignited anger across multiple countries.
In the clip, blindfolded activists are seen kneeling on the ground with their hands cuffed behind their backs while Ben-Gvir walks past waving an Israeli flag. He can be heard shouting: “Welcome to Israel, we are the masters.”
The moment, meant for social media, has instead become a diplomatic headache for Israel, intensifying criticism at a sensitive time in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
The flotilla itself was part of a recurring effort by international activists to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. Israeli authorities say such missions are often linked to pro-Palestinian networks and have repeatedly intercepted them at sea. On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department also sanctioned individuals it described as “associated with the pro-Hamas flotilla.”
But it was the imagery from Ashdod Port that shifted the focus from maritime security to political optics, and quickly pulled Israel’s leadership into damage control.
Netanyahu moved to publicly separate Israel’s official stance from Ben-Gvir’s actions, while still defending the country’s right to stop the flotilla.
“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “However, the way that Minister Ben-Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
He also said authorities were working to speed up the deportation of the foreign nationals involved.
The backlash didn’t stop at Israel’s borders. Inside the government, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar launched a direct attack on Ben-Gvir, warning that the video had damaged Israel’s international standing.
“You are not the face of Israel,” Sa’ar wrote on X, accusing him of undermining coordinated efforts by Israel’s military and diplomatic teams. “You deliberately caused damage to the state in this disgraceful performance, and not for the first time.”
Ben-Gvir, however, showed no signs of backing down. He defended the video and doubled down on his message, arguing that Israel should no longer show restraint toward those he views as hostile.
“Israel’s Foreign Minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a pushover,” he said. “Anyone who comes to our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get slapped, and we won’t turn the other cheek.”
The fallout spread quickly across Europe. Italy reacted particularly strongly after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the treatment of Italian activists and demanded an apology. Rome also summoned Israel’s ambassador in protest.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described the footage as unacceptable and a violation of basic human dignity, echoing growing concern across several European capitals.
