France bans Israeli minister Ben Gvir over controversial Gaza flotilla video
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "France bans Israeli minister Ben Gvir over controversial Gaza flotilla video")
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir Photograph: (AFP)
The row erupted after Ben Gvir on Wednesday shared a video mocking foreign activists who were detained by Israeli forces after their Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted in international waters
France on Saturday (May 23) announced a ban on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country after he posted a video mocking pro-Palestinian activists detained by Israeli forces during a Gaza-bound aid mission.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the decision was taken following Ben Gvir’s actions towards French and European citizens who were part of the humanitarian flotilla attempting to reach Gaza.
“From today, Itamar Ben Gvir is banned from entering French territory” after “his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens” who were part of the humanitarian flotilla, Barrot wrote on X.
He also said France and Italy were pushing for wider European Union sanctions against the far-right Israeli minister.
The controversy erupted after Ben Gvir shared a video on Wednesday showing foreign activists detained by Israeli soldiers after their flotilla was intercepted in international waters.
The activists, who were later taken to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod and awaited deportation, were seen kneeling on the ground with their hands tied in the footage.
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The video, captioned “Welcome to Israel”, also showed Ben Gvir taunting the activists while waving an Israeli flag.
The incident triggered criticism from several European countries. Spain urged the European Union to impose sanctions on Ben Gvir, while the United Kingdom summoned Israel’s top diplomat in London over what it described as the “inflammatory video”.
The activists had departed from Turkey last week aboard nearly 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla initiative. The mission was the latest attempt by international activists to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza after Israeli forces intercepted another convoy last month.
Israeli government divided over Ben Gvir video
Ben Gvir’s controversial video also drew criticism from within the Israeli government, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar sharply attacking his fellow cabinet colleague over the footage showing him taunting detained activists from the Gaza flotilla.
“You knowingly caused harm to our state in this disgraceful display – and not for the first time,” Sa’ar said in a statement. “You have undone tremendous, professional and successful efforts made by so many people, from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others.”
“You are not the face of Israel,” Sa’ar wrote on X while criticising National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also distanced himself from the minister’s conduct and said the treatment of the activists was “not in line with Israel's values and norms”.
However, Netanyahu had earlier criticised the aid mission itself and described the flotilla as a “malicious scheme” aimed at helping Hamas.
