Israeli minister condemned for taunting Gaza flotilla activists in video

World leaders and diplomats have condemned Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, after a video widely shared on social media showed him taunting detained flotilla protesters. The pro-Palestinian activists were aboard a Gaza-bound aid vessel, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli naval forces. Footage released on Wednesday by Ben-Gvir shows the security minister addressing the detainees as they sit surrounded by security personnel, with their hands bound. Israeli ambassadors in several countries have since been summoned over the incident. UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said she was "truly appalled" by the video, writing on X: “This violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated. “We are in touch with the families of a number of British nationals involved to provide them with consular support." She added that the UK had demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities. Some 430 detainees arrived in Israel on navy ships after trying to pass the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Critics call the blockade collective punishment, while Israel says it's to prevent Hamas from arming. As detainees were made to kneel on the ground on rows with their heads to the floor, Ben-Gvir is shown waving an Israeli flag, saying: “Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords.” In another shot, a handcuffed activist shouting "Free Palestine" as Ben-Gvir walks past is pushed and held down on the ground by guards. The leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party says in another video that the activists “came here all full of pride like big heroes. Look at them now”. He added: “I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu, give them to me for a long, long time, give them to us for the terrorist prisons, that’s what it should look like.” Politicians and diplomats from Israel and across the world have since condemned Ben-Gvir over the footage, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who called the scenes “unacceptable”. “It is inadmissible that these demonstrators, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that violates human dignity,” she wrote on X. “The Italian government is immediately taking, at the highest institutional levels, all necessary steps to secure the immediate release of the Italian citizens involved." Itamar Ben-Gvir is leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party. Credit: AP France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said he had requested that the Israeli ambassador to France be summoned to explain the footage. “The safety of our compatriots is a constant priority,” he wrote. “Whatever one thinks of this flotilla – and we have indicated on several occasions our disapproval of this initiative – our compatriots who are participating in it must be treated with respect and released as quickly as possible.” Ireland's foreign minister, Helen McEntee, said she was “appalled and shocked” by the footage. In a statement, she said participants of the flotilla, including Irish citizens, “are not in any way being treated with appropriate dignity or respect”. Spain's foreign affairs minister, José Manuel Albares, branded the treatment of the protesters as "monstrous, undignified, and humiliating". “I demand their immediate release and apologies from the government of Israel," he added. The video also drew rare condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the actions of his coalition partner were "not in line with Israel's values". “Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza,” he said. “However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible.” Israel-based legal advocacy group, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, accused authorities of “employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists”. Adalah said this followed similar patterns of ill-treatment by Israeli authorities against activists in previous flotilla missions “for which Israel faced zero accountability”. Even some within Israel's own government condemned the security minister, with the country's foreign affairs minister, Gideon Sa'ar, posting: "You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display - and not for the first time. "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.” British woman detained in Iran resumes hunger strike Putin claims Russia-China links are a 'key stabilising factor' in world affairs In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Ministry shared a series of photos showing security personnel offering bottles of water to activists and having what appear to be calmer interactions with them. Hamas criticised Ben-Gvir for the “scenes of abuse and humiliation” of the activists, describing it as an expression of Israel's “moral decadence and sadism”. On Tuesday, Israeli forces boarded the last of the flotilla boats that tried to challenge the blockade – the latest effort to highlight the grim conditions for nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza. Flotilla organisers claimed Israeli soldiers fired on five boats during the interdictions, causing some damage. Israel's Foreign Ministry said that no live ammunition was fired and that “nonlethal means” were aimed at the vessels as a warning, but without targeting or injuring protesters. Israel has called the flotilla “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas” with no real intent to deliver aid to Gaza. The boats carry a symbolic amount of aid. Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, but restrictions were intensified after the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Egypt, which has the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out. Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. Reporting History sees journalists join News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby to revisit their remarkable on-the-day reports of the defining events of the modern age. Listen to the episodes below...