A video released on Wednesday shows Israel’s far-right national security minister taunting detained pro-Palestinian activists while they are handcuffed and bent over on the deck of a ship. The images drew outrage both at home and abroad.
In the minute-long video released by the minister involved, Itamar Ben-Gvir, at least one of the detainees is manhandled by police officers while the Israeli national anthem can be heard playing. It brought swift and rare criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The activists were arrested at a port in southern Israel after the Israeli Navy intercepted a protest flotilla attempting to reach the Gaza Strip. The 430 people detained included Italian, Spanish, and French nationals, and those countries all condemned Mr. Ben-Gvir’s actions. They said they would summon Israel’s ambassadors to express their outrage.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy demanded an apology from Israel for the treatment of the activists, which she called a “violation of human dignity.”
Mr. Netanyahu, whose government has relied heavily on Mr. Ben-Gvir’s support, also took issue.
“The way that minister Ben-Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said on the social media platform X that Mr. Ben-Gvir had “knowingly damaged the state with this disgraceful spectacle.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the protest group behind the campaign, said its aim had been to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. But Israel intercepted their vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, about 140 miles away.
Activist groups have challenged Israel’s control over what enters and leaves Gaza for many years. They stepped up those efforts after Israel tightened the restrictions and drove Gaza into a humanitarian crisis during the war that began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.
While flotilla participants have complained about Israel’s treatment in the past, it is highly unusual for an Israeli government official to flaunt the mistreatment of activists.
In the video, as Mr. Ben-Gvir walks past activists forced to kneel, he remarks, “Don’t get excited by their screaming.”
A woman calling out “Free Palestine” is violently shoved to the ground by masked men. And Mr. Ben-Gvir announces that he has asked Mr. Netanyahu to allow him to detain the activists “for a very very long time” in “prisons for terrorists.”
David M. Halbfinger and Gabby Sobelman contributed reporting.
