Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked international outrage this week after posting a video appearing to mock pro-Palestinian activists detained by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The footage showed activists kneeling with their hands restrained behind their backs, all while Israel’s national anthem played in the background. Many were face down on the floor of what appeared to be an Israeli military vessel after Israeli forces intercepted more than 50 aid boats in international waters.
Later evidence appeared to show that some detained activists suffered physical abuse.
Several governments immediately condemned the treatment after citizens from their own countries appeared in the footage. Italy, France, Canada, and the Netherlands reportedly summoned Israeli ambassadors in protest.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the images “unacceptable,” saying the treatment violated “human dignity.” France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, stated that the activists “must be treated with respect.”
In what seemed like a collateral damage move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chimed in, saying, “the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms.” I think that statement could certainly be debated.
What’s striking, though, is how suddenly world leaders found outrage once their own citizens were humiliated on camera.
Have they not seen the images and videos of how Palestinians are treated? Did they miss the footage of them being stripped, beaten, detained, bombed, and buried beneath rubble while much of the international community remained largely silent?
I guess dignity only becomes urgent when your own citizens are the ones on their knees. Sure, they’ll condemn online, but then what…? Israel never faces consequences like sanctions or anything like that.
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