EU calls treatment of Gaza flotilla activists ‘completely unacceptable’

The European Commission on Wednesday declared that the treatment of detained Gaza flotilla activists shown in a video released by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was "completely unacceptable," joining a growing chorus of international condemnation that has triggered a diplomatic crisis for Israel.al-monitor+1

Ben Gvir Video Sparks Outrage

The video, released on Wednesday, shows Ben Gvir walking past rows of activists forced to kneel on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs at an Israeli port, taunting and mocking them as masked Israeli Border Police stood watch. The activists were among roughly 430 people from more than 40 nations who were aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of more than 50 boats intercepted by Israeli naval forces in international waters beginning on Monday.nytimes+3

"Every detained person must be treated with safety, dignity and according to international law," European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said in a post on X. "We call on the Israeli government to ensure the protection and dignified treatment of these activists, including several EU citizens."al-monitor

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas went further, calling the treatment "degrading and wrong" and describing Ben Gvir's conduct as "unbecoming of anyone holding office." Italy, France and Canada summoned Israel's ambassadors to express their outrage, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanding an immediate apology and the swift release of Italian citizens among the detainees.youtube+3

EU Divisions on Display

The condemnation exposed familiar fault lines within the bloc. In the European Parliament on Tuesday, Spanish MEP Irene Montero of the Left group confronted Kallas directly, accusing the EU of failing to protect European citizens detained by Israeli forces in international waters.instagram+1

Yet even as most member states united in criticism, the Czech Republic moved in the opposite direction. Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, meeting with Israeli officials in Jerusalem on Wednesday, pledged that Prague would block any further EU trade sanctions against Israel or attempts to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The Czech Republic has long been among Israel's most consistent defenders in EU forums.tps+2

Flotilla's Fate

The Global Sumud Flotilla departed from Barcelona on April 12 and had been attempting for weeks to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies and draw attention to conditions in the territory. Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in stages, beginning in waters near Greece's Peloponnese Peninsula in late April and completing the operation on Tuesday off Cyprus. Israel's Foreign Ministry called the flotilla "nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas."aljazeera+2

The backlash over Ben Gvir's video also drew criticism from within Israel's own government, with senior lawmaker Gideon Sa'ar accusing the minister of deliberately undermining the country's international standing.youtube