Israel maintains that its naval blockade of Gaza is lawful.
Israeli Ministers Clash Over Detention Video
After police detained the activists, whom organizers said numbered 430 and included citizens of Italy and South Korea, Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video on X showing officers forcing a woman to the ground after she chants “Free, free Palestine”.
The video also shows dozens of detainees kneeling in rows with their hands zip-tied behind their backs at what appears to be an outdoor Israeli port facility. In the background, soldiers armed with long guns can be seen patrolling the area from aboard a military vessel.
“They came as big heroes”, Ben-Gvir says in the video as he walks past the activists while carrying a large Israeli flag. “Look at them now. See how they look now, not heroes and not anything.”
Ben-Gvir’s stance drew strong criticism from within Israel’s coalition government itself, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reposting the video and accusing Ben-Gvir of harming Israel.
“You have undone tremendous, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people – from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others”, Saar wrote.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s right to intercept the flotilla but said Ben-Gvir’s treatment of the activists was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”.
Netanyahu instructed officials to deport the activists as soon as possible.
Countries Criticize Detention of Activists
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Ben-Gvir’s conduct toward the flotilla activists was “inadmissible”. Italy had earlier said its citizens were on board, including a member of parliament and a journalist.
Italy expects an apology from Israel and will summon the Israeli ambassador for an explanation, Meloni said in a strongly worded statement with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
South Korean citizens were also among those detained by Israeli naval forces, President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday, calling Israel’s actions “way out of line”.
Turkey condemned what it described as abuse against the activists and said it was working with other countries to secure the swift and safe release of Turkish citizens and others.
France, Canada, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands summoned senior Israeli diplomats in their countries over the treatment of Gaza flotilla members.
Activists to Be Taken to Prison
Activists aboard past flotillas that were intercepted were deported after being detained.
Israel said the activists aboard the latest flotilla’s boats had been transferred to Israeli vessels and would be allowed to meet their consular representatives after arriving in Israel. The flotilla’s organizers said participants came from 40 countries and were aboard 50 vessels.
The Israeli rights group Adalah said the activists had been detained at Ashdod port.
“Adalah attorneys, along with a team of dedicated volunteers, entered the port facilities in recent hours, are providing legal consultation to them, and will continue to demand their immediate and unconditional release”, Adalah said in a statement.
The flotilla’s organizers said the group would be taken to Ketziot prison in Israel’s southern Negev desert. They said Adalah lawyers would not be able to meet them until they reached Ketziot.
Most of Gaza’s more than two million people have been displaced, with many now living in bombed-out homes, makeshift tents pitched on open ground or by roadsides, or among the ruins of destroyed buildings.
Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies from its residents. It has retained control of more than 60% of Gaza since a US-backed ceasefire in October, with the militant group Hamas controlling a sliver of territory along the coast.
The current crisis in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when gunmen murdered about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized 251 hostages. The assault was the largest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust and led to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
(reuters, luc)
