Global outrage after Israeli Minister filmed taunting detained activists | 9 News Australia
An international diplomatic storm is brewing following the release of a highly controversial video showing a senior Israeli official mocking and taunting zip-tied, blindfolded activists. The raw footage has sparked immediate global condemnation from several countries, with multiple international governments joining to denounce the incident as entirely unacceptable.
The video, which was originally published directly by the office of Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, shows the minister walking through a detention tent filled with dozens of captured aid workers and protesters. The individuals had been detained on a marine flotilla attempting to breach maritime blockades to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. In the video, Ben-Gvir waves an Israeli flag over the handcuffed prisoners, who are forced onto their knees on the ground. At one point, after a protester shouts out, the minister retorts sharply, “Welcome to Israel. We are the landlords.” He then directly turns to the camera, labeling the captured activists as “terror supporters” rather than heroes, before publicly demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keep them incarcerated in high-security prisons for a much longer time.
The political backlash inside Israel has been swift. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly distanced himself from the video, stating that while he does not condone the activists’ actions, the minister’s behaviour did not align with state values and norms. Furthermore, Israel’s own Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, heavily reprimanded Ben-Gvir, accusing him of knowingly causing severe reputational damage to the state on the global stage. In Australia, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has condemned the video, and the federal government is scheduled to formally call in the Israeli Ambassador to Australia to register their official displeasure. Join 9News reporter Mark Burrows and news anchor Sophie Walsh for comprehensive on-air coverage and full diplomatic analysis of this unfolding crisis. | *Subscribe and 🔔: http://9Soci.al/KM6e50GjSK9*
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