The video, which extremist Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proudly published on his own social media account this week, humiliating some 400 foreign flotilla activists from 40 countries, has triggered international condemnation and outrage, even from other members of Israel’s own government.
Notably, but not surprisingly, there has been a calculated silence from some EU leaders, especially EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
In the video, Ben-Gvir waves a large Israeli flag over the bound activists and heckles them, at one point stating in Hebrew: “Welcome to Israel. We are the landlords.”
Reports a day later indicate three activists from the flotilla were hospitalised after alleged attacks by Israeli security forces and later discharged, while several others are believed to have suffered serious injuries.
“The team reports systemic violations of due process, and widespread physical and psychological abuse by Israeli authorities,” the rights group Adalah, which represents some of those detained, said in a statement. There were “a large number of complaints of extreme violence”.
