National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday shared videos of him harassing detained flotilla activists in Ashdod after Israeli forces intercepted their ships on Tuesday.
In the video, he can be seen forcing the head down of a flotilla activist after she yelled, "Free, free Palestine," to which he responds in Hebrew, "Shut up!" and continues walking.
In a separate clip, he is depicted as waving an Israeli flag while shouting out in Hebrew: "Welcome to Israel! We own this place."
In another clip, he can be heard speaking over Israel's national anthem, Hatikvah, as the flotilla activists kneel on the floor with their heads down. He also included several clips of the activists being perp walked with their hands zip-tied together.
In response to Ben-Gvir's video, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel has the right to respond to the flotilla, Ben-Gvir's actions were unacceptable.
"Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms," the prime minister wrote in a statement. He added that he ordered the activists to be deported as soon as possible.
Sa'ar, Amb. Leiter say Ben-Gvir damages Israel's reputation
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also accused the far-right minister of damaging Israel's reputation.
"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 wrote on X.
Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, echoed Sa'ar's statements and added that Ben-Gvir's "reckless grandstanding is not representative of government policy."
"I am Israel’s top diplomat in the US, at the heart of our most important alliance. Ben Gvir’s antics take a sledgehammer to our diplomatic efforts while Israel’s enemies gleefully jump on every unfortunate nonsense to discredit and demonize," he added.
Israeli politicians blame Netanyahu for empowering Ben-Gvir's antics
Yashar! party leader Gadi Eisenkot said that Ben-Gvir was "deliberately harming Israel’s image in the world to collect likes on social media.
"Even in this case, the responsibility lies first and foremost with the Prime Minister who appointed him. A Prime Minister who truly prioritizes Israel’s interests should have fired him long ago," he added.
Additionally, former prime minister and Together party co-leader Yair Lapid also claimed that Netanyahu shared responsibility for Ben-Gvir's actions.
"Today’s 'explanatory' attack was carried out by Ben-Gvir, but the person responsible for this serious incident is the Prime Minister, who brought a convicted criminal into the government, and anyone who agreed to be a partner of such an utterly irresponsible person," he wrote.
Later, several IDF officials told Israeli public broadcaster KAN News that Ben-Gvir "exploited his position to get attention."
Italy summons Israeli ambassador over Ben-Gvir's actions
Italy's government said on Tuesday that Israel's treatment of flotilla activists trying to take aid to Gaza was unacceptable and that it would summon the Israeli ambassador for an explanation.
A strongly worded statement by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy "demands an apology for the treatment" of the activists and the "total disrespect" for the Italian government's requests.
"The images of Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir are unacceptable. It is inadmissible that these protesters, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to treatment that harms their personal dignity.
Meloni added that her government was "immediately taking, at the highest institutional levels, all necessary steps to secure the immediate release of the Italian citizens involved."
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also summoned Israel's ambassador to France, writing that Ben-Gvir's actions were "unacceptable."
"Whatever one may think of this flotilla, and we have repeatedly expressed our disapproval of this initiative, our compatriots participating in it must be treated with respect and released as quickly as possible."
The Netherlands' Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Berendsen said that he had also summoned Israel's ambassador to his country, and noted that he found the video "shocking and unacceptable."
"This treatment of detainees violates basic human dignity," he added.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was "truly appalled" at the video, and added that it "violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated.
"We have demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities and made clear their obligations to protect the rights of our citizens and all those involved," she added.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said that he intended to raise the video at the EU level, and alleged that detaining the flotilla was a "breach of international law."
He then noted that Canada had placed sanctions on Ben-Gvir, including asset freezes and a travel ban, due to previous actions of his.