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Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador in Rome after videos emerged showing degrading treatment of pro-Palestinian flotilla activists. The clip, posted online by Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shows him mocking activists as they’re corralled in the custody of Israeli security personnel.
Ben-Gvir, who has been sanctioned by U.S. allies for inciting violence against Palestinians, is seen in one clip walking among some of the approximately 430 detained Sumud Global Flotilla activists with police and soldiers. The government minister waves a large Israeli flag and tells some of the activists: “Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords.”
One handcuffed activist seen in a video shouting “Free Palestine” as Ben-Gvir walks past is immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel.
The video shows activists with their hands tied behind their back, kneeling with their heads touching the floor, in what appears to be a makeshift detention area at Israel’s Ashdod port and on the deck of a ship.
In another video, Ben-Gvir says the activists “came here all full of pride like big heroes. Look at them now.”
After the video emerged, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rebuked Ben-Gvir on X: “You deliberately caused damage to the state in this disgraceful performance, and not for the first time… No you are not the face of Israel.”
Ben-Gvir responded on X that Saar should “understand that Israel has stopped being a pushover. Anyone who comes to our territory to support terrorism … will get slapped.”
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, in her own X post, called the video of Ben-Gvir “unacceptable,” and said her country “demands an apology for the treatment” of the activists. She said Italy had summoned the Israeli ambassador in Rome.
Israeli forces on Tuesday boarded the last of the flotilla boats trying to challenge Israel’s decades-long blockade of Gaza — the latest effort aimed at highlighting dire conditions for nearly 2 million Palestinians in the war-torn enclave.
CBS/AP
