ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of the Group of Eight Arab-Islamic states on Sunday condemned the “appalling, degrading and unacceptable” actions of far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toward participants of the Gaza-bound flotilla while they were in Israeli detention.
Around 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkiye this month in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Israeli authorities on May 17 raided the flotilla and detained over 400 activists.
Ben-Gvir last Wednesday posted a video on X, showing detained activists from the Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground. Captioned “Welcome to Israel,” the footage showed Ben-Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists.
In a joint statement, foreign ministers of the Group of Eight Arab-Islamic states, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Indonesia and Pakistan, described Ben-Gvir’s actions as a “disgraceful assault on human dignity.”
“The Ministers stress that Ben-Gvir’s deliberate public humiliation of detainees is a disgraceful assault on human dignity and a clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and international human rights law,” the statement said.
“The Ministers warn that Ben-Gvir’s provocative actions fuel hatred and extremism, and obstruct efforts to advance a just and lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
Several governments have expressed outrage since Ben-Gvir posted the video in which he taunted activists who were pinned to the ground. Some of the detainees, who had intended to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, later alleged that they were physically assaulted in detention, which Israel’s prison service denied.
The Arab-Islamic foreign ministers deplored the “illegal and extremist acts of incitement and violence” by Ben Gvir and the Israeli forces.
“The Ministers demand accountability for Ben-Gvir’s actions and call for concrete measures to end his repeated provocations, incitement, and violations, and to prevent him from further threatening and to ensure that such actions are neither tolerated nor repeated,” the joint statement said.
“They further stress the imperative of protecting human rights and safeguarding the dignity and humane treatment of all detainees, and ensuring full respect for international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
