Government and opposition officials agreed that the release of those videos damages Israel's image on the international stage.
Ben-Gvir had posted a video clip showing scenes related to the Israeli authorities' treatment of the "Global Steadfastness Flotilla" activists, who were detained while trying to sail towards the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar sharply criticized Ben-Gvir after the video was published, without condemning the arrest or the treatment of the activists.
the American company , Saar addressed Ben-Gvir, saying: “You have deliberately harmed our country in this disgraceful act, and this is not the first time.” He added: “You have wasted great, professional, and successful efforts made by many, from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry employees and others,” in dealing with the flotilla.
For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not condemn the attack, merely stating that "Ben-Gvir's treatment of the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel's values and standards."
Netanyahu claimed that "Israel has every right to prevent provocative Hamas supporters' flotillas from entering its territorial waters and reaching Gaza," adding that he had instructed the relevant authorities to deport the flotilla participants "as soon as possible."
In the same context, opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a post on the X platform: "Ben-Gvir carried out a propaganda attack today," adding that "the one responsible for this dangerous attack is the Prime Minister who brought a convicted criminal into the government, and everyone who agreed to be a partner to such an irresponsible person," without directly condemning the attack.
The leader of the opposition party "Yeshar" and former Chief of Staff of the occupation army, Gadi Eisenkot, said that "Ben-Gvir is deliberately distorting Israel's image in the world in pursuit of interactions on social media," and added that "the responsibility lies first and foremost with the Prime Minister who appointed him to this position, and he should have been dismissed a long time ago."
In contrast, Knesset member Ofir Cassif condemned the same attack, saying that "the flotilla activists are being detained, beaten and humiliated, with the encouragement and participation of Ben-Gvir."
"Terrorizing the world"
In this context, the Palestinian Prisoners Club confirmed that Israel has turned the "kidnapping" of solidarity activists into a "systematic policy" aimed at "intimidating" the world.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club said that the Israeli authorities have turned the “abduction of international solidarity activists participating in the Freedom Flotilla and the Global Steadfastness Flotilla” into a “systematic policy” aimed at suppressing voices supporting Palestine and intimidating solidarity activists around the world.
The club added in a statement on Wednesday that Israel, through this policy, seeks to send "a message of intimidation to the world that anyone who thinks of showing solidarity with the Palestinian people will face detention, abuse, arrest and torture."
The Prisoners Club added that the scenes of abuse, torture and humiliation practiced against the detained solidarity activistswith the participation of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, reflect an aspect of the daily reality experienced by Palestinian and Arab prisoners inside Israeli prisons.
summoning ambassadors
Italy and France summoned Israel’s ambassadors to their respective countries on Wednesday over the scenes of abuse against activists of the “Global Steadfastness Flotilla,” which were documented in a video by Ben-Gvir.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in a post on the "X" platform, demanded that Israel issue a formal apology to Rome for this treatment, and said that Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome to request clarifications regarding the scenes of abuse suffered by the "Steadfastness Flotilla" activists, including Italian citizens.
In turn, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, in a post on the “X” platform, called for the summoning of the Israeli ambassador to his country, demanding the immediate release of the French citizens participating in the flotilla.
He said that the actions of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir towards the passengers of the "Global Steadfastness Flotilla," which were condemned even by some members of the Israeli government, were unacceptable, and added that he had requested that the Israeli ambassador to France be summoned to express condemnation and obtain clarifications.
A video posted by Ben-Gvir showed scenes relating to the Israeli authorities' treatment of the "Global Steadfastness Flotilla" activists who were detained while attempting to sail towards the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday evening, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that all activists of the "Steadfastness Flotilla" had been arrested and transferred to Israeli Navy ships.
According to the flotilla organizers, the Israeli occupation army intervened against all of the flotilla’s approximately 50 boats, carrying 428 activists from 44 countries, including 78 Turkish citizens.
This move was met with widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, which described it as a "shameful and inhumane act".
Israel has previously seized aid boats in international waters bound for the Gaza Strip, and detained the activists before later deporting them.
Approximately 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are living in catastrophic humanitarian conditions, exacerbated by the Israeli war, which has left tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them women and children.
