European leaders call for sanctions after Ben‑Gvir video sparks outrage | DW News

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Israel is facing increasing criticism after the country's far-right national security minister Ben Gavir posted a video online showing him uh taunting a handcuffed pro Palestinian activists.

[00:00:13]They were part of an aid flatillaa intercepted on Monday while trying to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.

[00:00:20]Italy is calling for the EU to sanction the Israeli minister over the incident.

[00:00:24]Free Palestine.

[00:00:27]>> This video posted by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Beng has unleashed international outrage.

[00:00:35]It shows him taunting detained activists who are kneeling and zip tied.

[00:00:41]The activists were part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition which was trying to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.

[00:00:48]They were intercepted by the Israeli Navy earlier this week.

[00:00:53]Israeli authorities detained more than 430 people from more than 40 countries.

[00:00:59]Their treatment has triggered international anger.

[00:01:04]>> This treatment is monstrous, undignified, and inhumane. I demand public apologies from Israel.

[00:01:14]The Israeli minister has crossed a red line and has certainly damaged Israel's image.

[00:01:21]The US ambassador to Israel has described Bengavir's actions as despicable. The video also triggered a rare rebuke from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called Bengavir's behavior not in line with Israel's values and norms.

[00:01:38]On Thursday, activists from the flotilla began returning home after being deported from Israel.

[00:01:46]There were three Israeli Navy guys, three really big ones who beat us up in every way possible. They even doused some with water before using the taser.

[00:02:00]There was a German guy who had been struck dozens of times with a butt of a rifle.

[00:02:06]>> Israel says all of the activists detained during the operation have now been deported from the country.

[00:02:14]Well, Angelo Bonelli is a member of Italy's Parliament for Green Europe. He joins us from Rome. Welcome to DW. What did you think when you saw these images?

[00:02:25]First of all, thank you for your invitation. What I see is a horrible video, but I want to see I think that what is it the horrible not only the video it's horrible what happened in Gaza? What happened in West Bank? And the responsibility is not for the minister Benj is the entire government of Netanyahu.

[00:02:51]>> Okay. And what should happen about uh in connection with these images? What do you want to see happen?

[00:02:59]>> Uh now you know the foreigner minister Tayani request to European Union to impose sanction against minister Benjir.

[00:03:10]Uh but I think that uh this decision for the Italian government is hypocritical and insufficient. hypocritical because Italy has always opposed the sanction against Israel in European Union and insufficient because the Netano Netanyao government is is responsible for what happened not only for the Flotillia activists but what happened in Gaza and in the West Bank where crimes against humanity are were committed by the Netanyao government. So if the Italian calls for the EU to sanction uh Ben Gir if those are insufficient what do you want to happen as a result of this incident?

[00:03:59]Uh we demand and we ask to Italy but all European Union to section entire government not only Benjir because listen me when the Israeli government bombing the hospital school and now in West Bank there is ethling cleansing. We have in front of us uh our our uh crimes against humanity and no crimes against humanity proven yet. No claims of ethnic cleansing also disputed but as far as this incident your your anger seems excuse me wait let let me finish the question and then you can respond. your your your anger seems to be more against Italy's uh excuse me, Israel's uh policy uh in Gaza and the West Bank than it does uh today's incident. That is that true? Your your anger is more about Israeli policy than it is about this incident?

[00:05:08]>> Sorry, excuse me. I want to I want to say what do you they say before? Uh you say that there is no proof about uh crimes against humanity.

[00:05:19]>> Not proven in court. That's correct.

[00:05:21]>> There is an arrest warrant out for for Benjamin Netanyahu. He hasn't appeared yet. So at the moment those are those are allegations. Nothing's been proved.

[00:05:32]>> Excuse me. Uh it's possible to finish my question. uh the international court has uh decided and uh showed many many proof about what happened in Gaza. The question is the journalist like you is not possible to enter in Gaza. Uh 240 journalist was killed by IGF the her of Israel and I think that bombing hospital I think is true. I think that for you it's true that hospital as bombing from army of Israel yes or no was bombing you think that do you think that bombing hospital is not crimes against humanity for me yes >> okay Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuked Mr. Ben Gave and described his behavior as not in line with Israel's values and norms. What would you say to that?

[00:06:32]>> Uh Benj is in inside of the government of Netanyahu. If the the government Netanyahu is not agree with Benjir, we decide to put out of the government Bener. This decision is not coming. The another decision is not coming. the the apologize that is Spain government and Italy government asked to Israeli government. This apologize doesn't come.

[00:07:03]>> Thank you so much for joining us.

[00:07:04]Italian Green MP Angelo Bonelli.

[00:07:07]>> Thank you very much for your invitation.

[00:07:10]>> Svenkun from Borkto, former EU representative in the Palestinian territories is joining us now from Bayon in France. Sir, what was your first reaction when you saw that video?

[00:07:23]>> Well, good evening, Mr. Elvers. Um, I was of course appalled and disgusted by the behavior of Mr. Benia, but hey, what's new under the sun? That's exactly how he operates. And when Mr. Netanyahu says this is not the face and the norms of Israel, um, I I'm sorry. I'm I disagree. This is exactly how Israel behaved throughout these years, throughout the assault on Gazins. uh in Palestine and the West Bank. So um I'm not surprised by that. I think we have to put it also into the context of the Israel elections. They have been forwarded. They have been anticipated in September now and Benia is certainly trying to with this charade trying to win votes on the ultraright front. Um it's absolutely necessary to react at the EU level. M now um we're going to come to uh the EU reactions in a moment, but what does a video like this say about the man and about the government that he's a part of?

[00:08:22]>> He's the national security minister.

[00:08:25]Netanyao deliberately put him into this job in order to secure a farright coalition. Bizarles Modric and Itamar bin Gunir are the faces of uh the far right, the nationalist annexationist supremacists who actually want to drive out all the Palestinians from Israel. Uh and of course the occupied territory. So as I said, this is not new. I mean these are the people who don't want Palestinians to live there. These are the people who send them to prisons and torture them. These are the people who uh build illegal settlements. We just issued a group of former EU ambassadors and ministers a statement against the E1 settlement project which would effectively siphon off the West Bank from East Jerusalem and make impossible and a a two-state solution. These are the people running the government and Mr. Netanyao cannot say he is not part of that.

[00:09:24]>> Well, Netanyao rebuked um his minister there. That's quite an unusual step. How stable is this government?

[00:09:32]>> Very unstable. Um it's um if you the latest polls um a few days ago suggest that liquid while still winning most of the seats in the Knesset for 24 seats.

[00:09:44]Um they will not be able to put together a stable coalition. As a matter of fact, they fall short nine seats of having a majority. um but also the opposition um the center right uh and the liberal center are not able to must a coalition.

[00:10:00]I think the kingmakers will be the Arab um uh the Arab parties um in order to reach the 60 uh seat threshold. it will be uh a very tough elections. But I think one of the reasons why Netanyahu is anticipating the elections and trying to move it forward is because um he is afraid that Trump will strike a deal with Iran and that things go back to normal uh and he will not be able to use the rally around the flack um momentum which he has right now because it's very popular to strike Iran, very popular to strike Hispa, very popular um to strike Hamas. Um so he wants to be in a warlike situation order to be able to muster many many votes and Benir in that respect is actually fully aligned with him.

[00:10:48]>> Now um we've had a couple of reactions from across the European Union. How do you expect the EU as a body to react?

[00:10:57]>> It's about time that the EU reacts on this matter. I mean um a couple of member states, Slovenia, Spain and Netherlands have actually issued uh travel bans against Smodich and Benguer but so far and also thanks to um the vetos under the Orban regime, it was impossible to have a sanction regime.

[00:11:16]But also uh Minister Vadaful in the last foreign affairs council a few days ago was not seems to be able to um have agreement with the Bundes with the government to sanction Benvier and Smodri. Um so there is a pending EU action but Mr. Alas let me just say one thing. Sanctioning an extremist supremacist and really racist minister is one thing, but how about going far beyond that and you know sanction effectively the regime he serving? How about banning trade with the illegal settlements? How about suspending the EU is association agreement? How about stopping arms exports? How about prosecuting war criminals or suspected war criminals? These are things we can do as EU but even member states in their own right within their own prerogatives can do these things.

[00:12:09]>> Sven Kun Boff there former EU representative to the Palestinian territories. Thank you very much for sharing your opinions with us.

[00:12:18]>> Thank you Mr.