Ben-Gvir Posts Video Mocking Kneeling, Bound Activists at Ashdod Port
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday after he posted a video taunting bound and kneeling pro-Palestinian activists detained following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Cyprus. France and Italy have similarly denounced the footage as “unacceptable.”
The video, released by Ben-Gvir himself, shows the minister walking among approximately 430 detained activists at Ashdod port, flanked by police and soldiers and waving a large Israeli flag. “Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” he told the detainees, adding that they should remain imprisoned for a “long, long time.”
Footage Shows Detainees Kneeling With Hands Bound
The footage depicts dozens of people kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area, both on the port and on the deck of a ship. At one point, a handcuffed detainee shouting “Free Palestine” was immediately forced to the ground by security personnel as Ben-Gvir walked past.
In a second video, Ben-Gvir said the activists “came here all full of pride like big heroes — look at them now,” while appealing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for permission to jail them.
UK Demands Explanation; Italy Calls for Apology
Cooper said she was “truly appalled” by the footage, stating it “violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated.” She confirmed that Britain had “demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities and made clear their obligations to protect the rights of our citizens and all those involved.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went further, calling the treatment “intolerable” and demanding a formal apology. “It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity,” she said.
Italy also condemned what Meloni described as “total disregard shown towards the explicit requests of the Italian government.”
Israel Defends Interception as Counter-Hamas Operation
On Monday, the Israeli navy intercepted 41 boats from the flotilla in international waters and detained those on board. Israel has characterised the flotilla as “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” arguing the vessels carried only a symbolic quantity of aid with no genuine intent to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza.
The flotilla organisers dispute that characterisation. The interception and subsequent treatment of detainees raise questions under international law governing the rights of persons detained at sea and the obligations of detaining powers toward foreign nationals.