Arab-Islamic states condemn Israeli minister over Gaza flotilla harassment, demand accountability

The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic nations have strongly condemned far-right Israeli police minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir for his “appalling, degrading, and unacceptable” actions toward participants of a Gaza‑bound aid flotilla while they were in Israeli detention, and called for concrete measures to end his repeated provocations.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the top diplomats of Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said Ben‑Gvir’s deliberate public humiliation of detainees was “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.”

Governments have expressed outrage after Ben‑Gvir posted a 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 revealted that they were physically assaulted in detention.

The ministers further condemned “the illegal and extremist acts of incitement and violence by Ben‑Gvir and other Israeli officials directed against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

They warned that such provocative actions fuel hatred and extremism, and obstruct efforts to advance a just and lasting peace based on the two‑state solution.

“We demand accountability for Ben‑Gvir’s actions,” the statement read, calling for concrete measures to end his repeated provocations, incitement and violations, and to prevent him from further threatening.

The ministers stressed 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.

European activists from Gaza flotilla recount torture, sexual assaults by Israeli forces

International activists who boarded the Gaza-bound Flotilla have told tales of violence and torture during the interception of their vessels by Israeli forces.

The latest condemnation comes after Israeli naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters on May 18, the second such attack on a Gaza‑bound humanitarian mission in less than a month.

The flotilla, carrying over 400 activists from 39 countries including Ireland, Spain, Malaysia and Indonesia, was attempting to break Israel’s 17‑year‑old blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has caused widespread shortages of food, medicine and clean water.

Video footage from Ashdod port showed Ben‑Gvir personally handcuffing and degrading detained activists.

Israeli forces also assaulted and arbitrarily detained dozens of European and Arab citizens, sparking international outrage.

Israel has in recent years intensified its brutal suppression of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

According to Palestinian health officials, more than 80,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded in Gaza alone since October 2023, most of them women and children.

Israel has also repeatedly attacked humanitarian missions, hospitals, schools and refugee camps, actions that human rights groups have called war crimes.

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