Video posted by Israel\u2019s far-right National Security Minister Itamar\nBen-Gvir has sparked broad international condemnation. The clip shows\nBen-Gvir taunting activists from the humanitarian flotilla who were\ncaptured while attempting to breach the Gaza blockade. The act is seen\nas destroying Israel\u2019s public relations campaign known as Hasbara.<\/p>\n
In the clip uploaded on X, Ben-Gvir appears proud as activists from\nthe Global Sumud Flotilla kneel on the floor, blindfolded and with their\nhands bound at Ashdod port. The Israeli navy had earlier intercepted the\nvessels off the coast of Cyprus and detained 430 participants\nillegally.<\/p>\n
Experts say that the attempt to manage the damage by Israeli\nofficials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who ordered fast\ndeportations of the activists, was driven not by moral outrage but by\nfear of permanent damage to Israel\u2019s global image.<\/p>\n
For decades, Israel has relied on Hasbara\u2014the Hebrew term for\nexplanation\u2014as a systematic propaganda campaign to justify its military\npolicies toward Palestine. Fathi Nimer, a Palestinian policy expert from\nAl-Shabaka, described Hasbara as a tool to beautify the face of\noccupation.<\/p>\n
However, Ben-Gvir\u2019s video shatters that costly narrative in an\ninstant. \u2018To Netanyahu, the sin is not torture or humiliation of the\nactivist, but broadcasting it to the whole world,\u2019 Nimer said.<\/p>\n
The incident also highlights a contradiction in U.S. policy. Although\nthe U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, criticised Ben-Gvir for\n\u2018betraying the dignity of his people,\u2019 that criticism was deemed hollow\nby many.<\/p>\n
Just a day after the video circulated, the U.S. Department of the\nTreasury imposed sanctions on four organisers of Global Sumud Flotilla,\nlabelling the humanitarian mission as an pro-terror flotilla. Analysts\npoint to a double standard: the United States swiftly punishes\nhumanitarian activists, yet continues to shield the Israeli far-right\nminister from real accountability.<\/p>\n
For Palestinians, the affront endured by international activists is\nonly a glimpse of a darker systemic reality. Mustafa Barghouti,\nSecretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, said the sight\nof activists bound and blindfolded is a microcosm of what thousands of\nPalestinian prisoners experience daily.<\/p>\n
Human rights organisations estimate nearly 100 Palestinians have died\nin Israeli detention since October 2023, amid widespread reports of\nstarvation, brutal beatings, and medical neglect.<\/p>\n
Luisa Morgantini, former Vice-President of the European Parliament,\ncalled for stronger measures than simply summoning ambassadors. She\nurged European countries to suspend association agreements with Israel,\nhalt arms sales, and support ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.\n(Al Jazeera\/I-2)<\/p>\n
Israel began deporting 428 Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers,\nincluding nine Indonesian nationals. The humanitarian activists were\nrepatriated after being detained by the Israeli military.<\/p>\n
Yvonne explained that the protection and immediate repatriation of\nthe nine Indonesian nationals detained by the Israeli military was\nconducted through all diplomatic channels available to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
It is said that officials have received official confirmation from\nthe Israeli prison service and government that all activists held.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Yvonne stated that Indonesia\u2019s Foreign Minister,\nSugiono, has also spoken with colleagues in several countries such as\nTurkey and Jordan.<\/p>\n
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the treatment was\nunacceptable and violated human dignity, especially since some Italian\nnationals were detained.<\/p>\n
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