How to react to Israel's treatment of Gaza activists?
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has drawn international criticism for his treatment of several activists who had been detained by Israeli forces on board the Gaza aid flotilla Global Sumud. A video posted by the far-right politician shows him mocking the activists, who are on their knees with their hand tied behind their backs, and waving an Israeli flag. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has distanced himself from the incident.
An ethical issue with a clear answer
In a Facebook post, author Viktor Shenderovich warns:
“The public physical humiliation of defenceless people (no matter who they are and what their beliefs may be) shifts the issue definitively from the complex realm of politics into the sphere of ethical indisputability. It also provides a clear answer to a direct question: no, a man like Ben-Gvir must not be allowed to represent Israel, unless Israel wants to gradually transform itself into a Jewish version of Hamas. This is not about left or right, but about fundamental civilisational values and about self-preservation.”
Breaking through the wall of silence
The aid flotilla's action has been successful in that it has forced the global community to sit up and take notice, writes Il Manifesto:
“The minister himself has drawn attention to Israel's detention practices, while the other institutions, in the face of international criticism, are dismissing this as the somewhat crazy act of an individual. ... Israel has silenced the voices of the Palestinian and international press. It has demonised every report by independent NGOs and the United Nations. In the case of the flotilla, Israel reached the gates of Europe to abduct people who sought not so much to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip – an impossible undertaking – as to break the silence that facilitates that very blockade.”
Massive blow to Netanyahu’s reputation
Salzburger Nachrichten comments:
“For Benjamin Netanyahu, this incident represents yet another political setback following the call-off of a renewed attack on Iran. Even his European allies view Ben-Gvir's behaviour as a public relations disaster. The fact that, like Finance Minister Smotrich, he wants to build new settlements in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria is making international headlines again. The 'Global Sumud' campaign has now drawn attention to the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the heat, water shortages and the spread of disease are exacerbating the already precarious situation of the population. Ben-Gvir has also reminded the world of the plight of the tens of thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.”