<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-top-anchor"></div>
<div id="gmail-toolbar" class="gmail-toolbar-container">
<span name="selected"></span>
</div>
<div class="gmail-container" lang="en-EN" dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-header gmail-reader-header gmail-reader-show-element">
<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-officials-decry-ben-gvir--invoke--values--amid-daily">english.almayadeen.net</a>
<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Israeli officials decry Ben-Gvir, invoke 'values' amid daily massacres</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Mayadeen English</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">May 21, 2026</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="gmail-content">
<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>Israeli
condemnations of Itamar Ben-Gvir over the Gaza flotilla has fueled
accusations of hypocrisy, as critics argue the outrage focuses on one
extremist figure while obscuring the broader system of war, siege, and
mass violence upheld across the Israeli political and military
establishment.</p><div><ul id="gmail-content-slick-0"><div aria-hidden="false"><li>
<a href="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2026/5/21/7607b3df-d23d-4692-b3fb-3d6debfadbfc.png?v=4&width=1000" tabindex="0"><img src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2026/5/21/7607b3df-d23d-4692-b3fb-3d6debfadbfc.png?v=4&width=1000&preset=w750" alt="Israeli officials decry Ben-Gvir and invoke 'values' amid daily massacres." class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img"></a>
Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is seen in this illustration. (Mahdi Rtail; <strong>Al Mayadeen English</strong>)
</li></div></ul>
<p>The public humiliation of pro-Palestine activists detained aboard the
Gaza-bound flotilla has triggered a widening diplomatic crisis for
"Israel", exposing the hypocrisy of Israeli leaders invoking "values"
and "norms" while overseeing the devastation of Gaza and continuing
military assaults across the region.</p>
<p>The controversy erupted after Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
released a video showing detained flotilla activists kneeling with their
hands bound following the interception of aid vessels in international
waters. The footage drew international condemnation, with European
governments and rights groups accusing Israeli authorities of degrading
and humiliating civilians attempting to challenge the blockade imposed
on Gaza.</p>
<p>Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/europe-states--iran-condemn--israel--over-gaza-flotilla-dete">treatment of activists as "intolerable''</a>,
while Spain summoned the Israeli chargé d\u2019affaires and accused Israeli
authorities of violating international law. Britain, France, Canada, the
Netherlands, Poland, and Greece also condemned the treatment of
detainees, with several governments demanding apologies, investigations,
or sanctions against Ben-Gvir himself, and even summoning ambassadors
and so on.</p>
<p>The flotilla operation reportedly involved the interception of more
than 50 boats carrying over 400 activists from dozens of countries
seeking to deliver aid and protest the siege on Gaza.</p>
<p>According to Israeli authorities, around 430 activists were
transferred to Israeli ports following the interception. Israeli
officials later said most detainees had either been deported or released
pending deportation proceedings amid mounting international backlash,
while rights groups reported allegations of physical abuse and degrading
treatment during detention.</p>
<h2>Image management</h2>
<p>The backlash additionally triggered rare public criticism from within
the Israeli leadership itself, not because of the abuse inflicted on
activists, but over fears that Ben-Gvir\u2019s conduct was further damaging
"Israel\u2019s" international image at a moment of mounting diplomatic
isolation and growing accusations of war crimes.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to distance himself from
his own minister\u2019s conduct, claiming the treatment of detainees
contradicted "Israeli values and norms."</p>
<p>\u201cThe way minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not
in line with Israel's values and norms. I have instructed the relevant
authorities to deport the provocateurs (activists) as soon as possible,\u201d
Netanyahu said.<span> </span></p>
<p>The remarks came as Netanyahu himself remains the subject of an <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icc-may-target-smotrich--ben-gvir--katz-with-arrest-warrants">International Criminal Court arrest warrant</a> tied to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza genocide.</p>
<p>Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar likewise condemned Ben-Gvir\u2019s
conduct, accusing him of inflicting diplomatic damage on the Israeli
regime.</p>
<p>\u201cYou knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display
and not for the first time. You have undone tremendous, professional,
and successful efforts made by so many people from IDF soldiers to
Foreign Ministry staff and many others. No, you are not the face of
Israel,\u201d Sa\u2019ar wrote on X.</p>
<h3>The myth of 'moderate Israel'</h3>
<p>The timing of the condemnations drew particular attention as <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/new-faces--same-old-occupation--expansionist-politics-in--is">"Israel" moves closer to elections</a>
amid mounting domestic and international pressure on Netanyahu\u2019s
government, fueling perceptions that distancing the broader Israeli
leadership from Ben-Gvir had become politically necessary ahead of a
highly contested electoral period.</p>
<p>Analysts noted that figures such as Yair Lapid and <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-it-s-over--let-go---bennett-attacks-netanyahu-over-haredi-d">Naftali Bennett</a>
previously built coalitions aimed at removing Netanyahu from power
while presenting themselves internationally as more "pragmatic" or
"moderate" alternatives to the Israeli far right.</p>
<p>Their governments and political alliances were frequently portrayed
abroad as more "centrist, institutionally stable, and diplomatically
acceptable" than openly inflammatory figures such as Itamar Ben-Gvir,
particularly through softer rhetoric, closer engagement with European
governments, and efforts to project a more liberal or democratic image
internationally.</p>
<p>Yet despite differences in rhetoric and international branding, the Israeli political establishment<span> <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/new-faces--same-old-occupation--expansionist-politics-in--is">continues to support the broader structures of occupation</a></span>, siege policies, and settlement expansion imposed on Palestinians.</p>
<p>Netanyahu\u2019s public distancing from Ben-Gvir therefore appeared to
reflect less a rejection of the underlying policies themselves than
growing concern that the minister\u2019s overtly inflammatory rhetoric and
internationally damaging conduct were becoming a diplomatic and
electoral liability ahead of elections.</p>
<h2>Israeli 'norms' and 'values'</h2>
<p>Although framed as a defense of \u201cIsraeli values and norms,\u201d
Netanyahu\u2019s remarks exposed what is viewed as the central contradiction
of Israeli leaders invoking \u201cmorality\u201d and \u201chuman dignity\u201d in response
to the humiliation of foreign activists while continuing to oversee the
destruction of Gaza, repeated attacks on Lebanon, the displacement of
Palestinians, and a blockade that has fueled catastrophic humanitarian
conditions.</p>
<p>Since the start of the Israeli aggression across the region, Gaza has
witnessed mass civilian killings, the destruction of entire residential
districts, repeated displacement campaigns, starvation conditions, and
the collapse of much of its healthcare system. Israeli strikes have also
killed <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lebanon-death-toll-tops-3-000-amid-ongoing-israeli-aggressio">more than 3,000 people</a> in Lebanon, thousands more in Iran during the recent US-Israeli war, and hundreds of civilians in Yemen.</p>
<h3>Documented atrocities</h3>
<p>In a landmark report <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/in-first--amnesty-suggests-israeli-acts-in-gaza-amount-to-ge">published in December 2024</a>,
Amnesty International concluded that "Israel", led by the government of
Netanyahu himself, had committed and was continuing to commit genocide
against Palestinians in Gaza, citing mass killings, starvation, forced
displacement, the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the widespread
destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, and civilian infrastructure.</p>
<p>The organization stated that Israeli actions had created \u201cconditions
of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction,\u201d while
accusing Israeli authorities of deliberately restricting access to food,
water, fuel, <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/over-60--of-essential-meds-unavailable-in-gaza-due-to-israel">medicine</a>, and humanitarian assistance during the assault on Gaza.</p>
<p>Human Rights Watch has also documented <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hrw-verifies--israel--using-white-phosphorus-in-south-lebano">Israeli use of white phosphorus</a><span> </span>in
Gaza and Lebanon, warning that its deployment in densely populated
civilian areas places residents at risk of severe burns, respiratory
injuries, and long-term harm. The organization verified multiple white
phosphorus strikes over Gaza City and municipalities in southern
Lebanon, arguing that such attacks violate international humanitarian
law because of their indiscriminate effects on civilians.</p>
<p>United Nations <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/70--of-gaza-destroyed-as--israel--shifts-to-bulldozer--land">satellite analysis</a>
and humanitarian assessments have meanwhile documented the scale of
destruction across Gaza, with vast portions of residential
neighborhoods, refugee camps, hospitals, universities, agricultural
lands, and water infrastructure either damaged or destroyed during the
war.</p>
<p>The same goes for Lebanon. </p>
<p>Aid organizations and UN agencies have repeatedly warned that the
blockade and repeated displacement orders imposed on Gaza\u2019s population
contributed to <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-envoy-blocked-early-2024-warnings-of-famine-in-north-gaza">famine-like conditions</a>,
the collapse of much of the healthcare system, and the forced
displacement of the overwhelming majority of the enclave\u2019s residents.</p>
<h3>Silenced prison suffering</h3>
<p>The international backlash over the treatment of flotilla activists
also renewed attention to the conditions faced by thousands of
Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons, many of whom rights
groups say have long endured <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/inside-ofer-s-eerie-alleys-of-torture--abuse--and--fascism">systematic abuse</a>,
administrative detention without trial, medical neglect, marks of
torture, rape, starvation, and degrading treatment with far less
international scrutiny.</p>
<p>Palestinian rights organizations and international monitors have
repeatedly documented reports of beatings, prolonged isolation, denial
of medical care, and <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/cnn-exposes-horrible-israeli-torture-methods-on-palestinian">abuse inside Israeli detention facilities</a>,
particularly following the outbreak of the war on Gaza. For many
observers, the swift diplomatic outrage over the humiliation of foreign
activists stood in sharp contrast to the comparatively muted
international response to the conditions endured by Palestinian
detainees for years under Israeli detention policies.</p>
<h2><span>Selective European morality</span></h2>
<p>The controversy unfolded amid growing European debate over sanctions
targeting Israeli settlers, far-right ministers, and aspects of
"Israel\u2019s" relationship with the European Union. Earlier this month, EU
foreign ministers approved sanctions against whom they called <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-settlers-escalate-terror-campaign-in-occupied-west-b">violent settlers and settler-linked groups</a> accused of attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including asset freezes and travel bans.</p>
<p>Public discussion surrounding sanctions against Israeli ministers
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich has already intensified earlier
this year following mounting international criticism over settlement
expansion, incitement against Palestinians, and Israeli legislation
advancing the <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--begins-to-implement-execution-law--expands-it-to-we">execution law for Palestinian detainees</a>.</p>
<p>In March 2026, the European Union formally condemned the Israeli
parliament\u2019s approval of the death penalty law, describing it as a \u201c<a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/widespread-condemnation-of--israel-s--new-prisoner-execution">grave regression</a>\u201d
and warning of its discriminatory character toward Palestinians. Human
rights organizations and European advocacy groups subsequently called
for punitive measures and sanctions against Israeli officials linked to
the legislation.</p>
<p>Reports later indicated that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/eu-drops-smotrich--ben-gvir-from-proposed-sanctions">were ultimately dropped</a>
from an initial EU sanctions proposal during negotiations among member
states aimed at securing broader political backing for measures
targeting violent settlers and settler-linked groups.</p>
<h3>Shielding Israeli establishment</h3>
<p>For many, the episode exposed the contradiction at the center of the
European approach: publicly condemning the most openly inflammatory
Israeli figures while continuing to preserve <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/borrell-admits-criticism-of-europe-double-standards-on-ukrai">military, economic, and diplomatic ties </a>with
the broader Israeli political and military establishment overseeing the
destruction of Gaza and the continued dispossession of Palestinians.</p>
<p>Critics argue that European governments increasingly frame figures
such as Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, and violent settlers as exceptional
deviations from an otherwise legitimate or \u201cmoderate\u201d Israeli political
order, while the core policies of collective punishment and settlement
expansion remain deeply embedded across much of the Israeli political
spectrum and continue under governments routinely presented
internationally as centrist or liberal.</p>
<p>The condemnations of Ben-Gvir by Israeli officials likewise did not
reveal a genuine divide between moderation and extremism inside the
Israeli leadership, but rather disagreements over international image
management while the broader policies of occupation, settlement
expansion, and military violence remain deeply entrenched across the
Israeli political spectrum.</p>
<p>The pressure surrounding Ben-Gvir and Smotrich intensified further in
May after Israeli media reports indicated that the International
Criminal Court was considering <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icc-may-target-smotrich--ben-gvir--katz-with-arrest-warrants">additional arrest warrants</a>
targeting senior Israeli political and military officials over war
crimes committed during the war on Gaza. Reports suggested the potential
warrants could include figures such as Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, and Israeli
War Minister Israel Katz, deepening concerns inside the Israeli
leadership over mounting international legal isolation.</p>
<p>Amid the reports, Smotrich announced plans to proceed with the
forcible displacement of the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan
al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank, a move rights groups have long
warned would constitute a violation of international law.</p>
<h2>Economic complicity</h2>
<p>The controversy has also renewed scrutiny of the <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/Economy/eu-split-over--israel--association-pact-as-spain-pushes-susp">EU-"Israel" Association Agreement</a>,
which grants "Israel" preferential access to European markets and
extensive economic cooperation with the bloc. Article 2 of the agreement
states that relations between the two sides must be based on respect
for human rights and democratic principles.</p>
<p>Countries including <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/eu-states-push-to-debate-suspension-of--israel--treaty">Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia</a>
have increasingly pushed for reviewing or suspending aspects of the
agreement over the war on Gaza, settlement expansion, and worsening
humanitarian conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories. Ireland
is also preparing legislation restricting trade with Israeli
settlements amid growing pressure inside Europe to translate criticism
of Israeli policies into concrete economic measures.</p>
<p>Yet despite mounting accusations of war crimes, the European Union
has largely maintained normal economic relations with "Israel".</p>
<h2>Sanitized barbarity</h2>
<p>For many observers, the flotilla controversy ultimately exposed more
than the conduct of one far-right minister. It revealed a broader effort
by both Israeli and Western political actors to isolate the most openly
inflammatory figures from the wider structures of occupation and
violence that continue regardless of which coalition or political
faction holds power in "Israel".</p>
<p>In that sense, Ben-Gvir\u2019s conduct became politically problematic not
because it fundamentally diverged from the broader trajectory of Israeli
policy, but because its overt brutality and inflammatory nature
increasingly risked stripping away the language of \u201cdemocracy,\u201d
\u201cmoderation,\u201d and \u201cshared values\u201d long used by both the Israeli
leadership and its Western allies to preserve the international
legitimacy of the broader Israeli establishment despite the continuing
devastation inflicted on Palestinians and the wider region.</p>
<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/new-faces--same-old-occupation--expansionist-politics-in--is">New faces, same old occupation, expansionist politics in 'Israel': RS</a></strong></p></div></div></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div></div>
</div>
<br></div>