Israel's treatment of aid flotilla activists sparks global outrage

Several countries have condemned on Wednesday Israel's treatment of detained activists from the intercepted Gaza aid flotilla, as seen in a video shared by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

He posted a video showing detained activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs and their foreheads on the ground.

The video, published on Ben Gvir's X account with the caption "That's how we welcome the terrorism supporters. Welcome to Israel," shows the activists on the deck of a military boat while the Israeli national anthem plays. The video then shows the activists in detention in Israel, where Ben Gvir is seen waving an Israeli flag.

Activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli naval forces on Monday, are being detained at the Israeli port of Ashdod before being taken to prison, according to an Israeli rights group and the flotilla's organizers.

Israel-based legal rights group Adalah said in a statement the activists had been "detained at Ashdod port" and "taken into Israel against their will as Adalah ​attorneys enter for legal consultations." The group has previously represented activists in Israeli courts.

In a statement, the flotilla's organizers said the activists would be taken to Ketziot prison in the Negev Desert in southern Israel. They added that Adalah lawyers would not be able to meet with the activists until they arrive at Ketziot.

Countries slam Ben Gvir's video

The video released by Ben Gvir sparked widespread criticism around the world.

Italy's government said that Israel's treatment of the flotilla activists was unacceptable. The government said that it would summon the Israeli ambassador for an explanation.

"It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.

Germany's ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, labelled Ben Gvir's treatment of detained activists as "wholly unacceptable and incompatible with the basic values of our countries."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he had summoned the ‌Israeli ambassador ⁠in ⁠Paris in response to the video. "Mr. Ben Gvir's actions ‌towards ​the passengers of the Global Sumud flotilla, denounced by his ​own colleagues in the Israeli government, are unacceptable," ⁠Barrot ​said in ​a post on X.

The Netherlands will also summon Israel's ambassador to address the "unacceptable" treatment of detained ‌Gaza ⁠flotilla ⁠activists, Dutch Foreign Minister ‌Tom Berendsen said on ‌Wednesday.

British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said she was "truly appalled" by the video. "We ‌have ​demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities and made clear their obligations ​to protect the rights of our citizens and all those ⁠involved," ​Cooper said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said that Ben Gvir "has once again openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mentality of the Netanyahu government."

Canada will summon the Israeli ambassador to protest, Foreign Minister Anita ​Anand said. "What ​we've seen, including the ​video ‌shared by Itamar Ben-Gvir, is deeply troubling and absolutely ‌unacceptable," she told reporters on ‌a ​conference call.

Mike Huckabee, the US envoy to Israel, has slammed Ben Gvir's "despicable actions." "Flotilla was stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed (the) dignity of his nation," he wrote on X.

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib strongly condemned the treatment of activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, stating that "no one should be punished for defending humanity."

"Watch this video. These are not convicted criminals. These are activists trying to get bread to the hungry," Lahbib wrote on X. 

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas also condemned the released footage, describing it as evidence of the "moral depravity" of Israeli leaders. Hamas, which carried out the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the UK and several other countries.

Ben Gvir's video draws criticism from within government

Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has every right to stop "provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters," he added that the way that 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," Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has openly distanced himself from Ben Gvir."You knowingly caused harm to our state with this disgraceful display — and not for the first time," he wrote on X, stressing that Ben Gvir "is not the face of Israel."

Israel stated that all 430 activists on the flotilla's vessels had been moved to Israeli ships and that they would be permitted to meet with their consular representatives upon their arrival in Israel.

Activists aboard previous flotillas that were intercepted by Israel were deported after being detained.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery