Arab States Condemn Ben-Gvir over Flotilla Detainee Video

The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic states on Sunday strongly condemned the actions of Israeli far-right Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir against participants in a Gaza-bound flotilla detained by Israel.

The governments expressed outrage after Ben-Gvir posted a video in which he mocked activists who were chained to the ground. Some of the detainees, who had intended to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, later claimed they were physically assaulted during their detention, a claim denied by the Israeli prison service.

The eight countries, which include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan, said in a joint statement: "Ben-Gvir's deliberate public humiliation of detainees is a disgraceful assault on human dignity and a clear violation of Israel's obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and international human rights law."

(reuters, sak)