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Officials across Europe have slammed Israel’s treatment of activists arrested from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla after a senior Israeli minister posted a video of them bound and forced to kneel.
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Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the immediate release of any detained Italian citizens and demanded an apology from Israel.
“It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity,” Meloni said in a statement, referring to the video posted by far-right national Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
“Italy also demands an apology for the treatment inflicted on these demonstrators and for the total disregard shown towards the explicit requests of the Italian government,” Meloni said.
The video posted by Ben Gvir showed activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs and foreheads on the ground.
The footage, published on Ben Gvir’s X account and captioned “Welcome to Israel”, shows dozens of activists on the deck of a military boat with the Israeli national anthem blaring, and in detention in Israel, where the firebrand minister is seen waving an Israeli flag.
The video was also slammed by France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said he had requested Israel’s ambassador to France be summoned.
“The safety of our compatriots is a constant priority,” he wrote in a post on X.
“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.”
Spain’s top diplomat condemned the treatment of the activists as “monstrous.”
“That treatment is monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in Berlin in a recording shared with the media, adding that Israel’s charge d’affaires in Madrid had been summoned in protest.
Meanwhile, Irish foreign minister Helen McEntee said she was “appalled and shocked” by the video.
She demanded the immediate release of the “illegally detained” activists after Israel’s security minister posted a video showing dozens kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground. Among the detainees is the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly.
And the Portuguese foreign ministry said it “condemns the intolerable conduct of Israeli Minister Ben Gvir and the treatment inflicted on the flotilla activists.”
“During the summoning of Israel’s Chargé d’Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will take place this afternoon, in addition to the previously planned demand for release, protest, and requests for clarification, this serious violation of the rights of the citizens concerned will also be addressed,” the ministry said in a statement published on X.
Criticism from Israel
The posting of that video drew a sharp rebuke from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The way 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 (activists) as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
And Ben Gvir was also criticised by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
“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,” Sa’ar said in a post on X.
The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkey last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.
The Israeli authorities said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were en route to Israel, while the Adalah rights group said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there.
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
During the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, the territory has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.
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