IsraelThe national security minister drew a sharp rebuke from his boss and sparked controversy abroad on Wednesday, after he released a video mocking and telling activists detained from a group trying to cross Israel’s Gaza blockade that they should be locked up for a long time.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu It said that while Israel has every right to stop “inciting groups of terrorist supporters of Hamas”, the way National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the activists “does not correspond to Israeli values and principles”.
Ben-Gvir on Wednesday released videos of himself walking among some 430 prisoners, after the arrival of naval ships. One video shows activists with their hands tied behind their backs kneeling and their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift barricade in the port of Ashdod and on the deck of a ship.
Ben-Gvir waved a large Israeli flag and told the prisoners: “Welcome to Israel, we are the owners of the house.” One handcuffed activist, who was shown in the video shouting “Free Palestine” as Ben-Gvir walked by, was immediately pushed to the ground by security officers.
In the second video, Ben-Gvir says the activists “came here full of pride like great heroes. Look at them now,” while asking Netanyahu for permission to arrest them.
