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Italy, Ireland and Spain have called on the European Union (EU) to impose sanctions on Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir following the treatment of activists detained during a Gaza-bound flotilla.
The controversy began after Ben Gvir posted a video on Wednesday showing detained activists from the flotilla being forced to kneel with their hands bound after being intercepted at sea and taken to the port of Ashdod for deportation.
The footage showed dozens of activists on their knees with their heads lowered, sparking widespread criticism across Europe.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, said that he had formally requested sanctions against Ben Gvir, describing the treatment of the activists as “humiliating and incompatible with basic human rights.”
His remarks followed earlier criticism from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who described the incident as “intolerable” and demanded an apology from Israel.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a post on X on Wednesday stated that the images were unacceptable and warned that his government would not tolerate mistreatment of Spanish citizens involved in the flotilla.
In Ireland, Prime Minister Micheál Martin urged stronger EU measures against Israel, according to a leaked letter seen by AFP.
In the letter dated Wednesday to the European Council President António Costa, Martin condemned what he described as the “shocking treatment of EU citizens” and called for further action, including possible suspension of parts of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and restrictions on settlement products.
He also called for the issue to be discussed at the next European Council meeting in June.
“At the very least, this must include the banning of products from Israeli settlements and the suspension of parts if not all of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel,” Martin said.
Separately, the United Kingdom on Thursday said it had summoned Israel’s senior diplomat in London over what it described as the inflammatory video.
The activists were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sailed from Turkey last week in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza before being intercepted by Israeli forces.
