France detains Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after ‘unspeakable’ taunts with flotilla prisoners

PARIS (AP) — France on Saturday detained Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing his “unspeakable” behavior in targeting. activists from a Gaza flotilla who were stopped by his police forces.

“As of today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory. This decision follows his unspeakable actions towards French and European citizens who were passengers on the Sumud Global Flotilla,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced in a post on X.

“We cannot tolerate French citizens being threatened, intimidated or brutalized in this way – even more so by a public official,” Barrot tweeted, calling on the European Union to also sanction Ben-Gvir.

The Associated Press has sought comment from Ben-Gvir’s spokesman and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This week, Ben-Gvir caused global outrage after promoting a video of himself mocking banned flotilla activists.

In one clip, Ben-Gvir is seen waving a large Israeli flag over the crouching prisoners, whose hands appear to be bound. In another, he taunts a kneeling prisoner whose wrists are chained, shouting at him “Am Yisrael Chai” – Hebrew for “The Nation of Israel lives”. In a third, detainees can be seen – forehead to the floor of an outdoor pen – as the Israeli national anthem plays and armed guards surround them.

Foreign leaders – and also coalition partner Netanyahu — condemned Ben-Gvir’s in-camera treatment of the flotilla’s approximately 430 prisoners.

In his post, the French minister was also critical of the flotilla activists, who were trying to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

“We do not approve of the approach of this flotilla, which produces no beneficial effect and places an additional burden on the diplomatic and consular services,” Barrot wrote.