Several nations summon Israeli envoys as Ben-Gvir taunts flotilla activists
Gaza-bound flotilla activists crouch on the floor with their hands tied in zip-bands, on 20 May 2026
Al Jazeera and AFP report on 20 May 2026:
Several countries, including Italy, France, the Netherlands and Canada, have summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their capitals to express their “indignation” over Israel’s treatment of the abducted Gaza flotilla activists.
The condemnation came on Wednesday, shortly after Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a video on social media, in which he was seen taunting the activists as they knelt on the floor with their hands tied.
“The images of Israeli Minister Ben Gvir are unacceptable. It is unacceptable that these protesters, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that violates their human dignity,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement on X. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also denounced Ben-Gvir’s actions as “unacceptable”, calling for the release of French citizens “as soon as possible”.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand called the incident “deeply troubling”, adding that Ottawa will summon the Israeli ambassador over the incident. “This is a matter we take very, very seriously. It’s a matter of humane treatment of civilians, and I can assure you that we are acting with absolute urgency,” she told reporters.
The Netherlands will also summon Israel’s ambassador, as Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said Ben-Gvir’s “treatment of detainees violates basic human dignity”.
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Other countries condemning the incident include Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Poland, Qatar, Slovenia, Turkiye, Austria, Belgium, Colombia and the United Kingdom.