Italy asked the European Union on Thursday to sanction a far-right Israeli minister who posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X he had requested sanctions against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir "for the unacceptable acts committed against the flotilla, seizing the activists in international waters and subjecting them to harassment and humiliation, in violation of the most basic human rights."
Ireland and Spain have also joined the calls for EU sanctions on Ben Gvir.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the immediate release of detained Italian activists and demanded an apology from Israel after Ben Gvir posted the video on Wednesday.
"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.
