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Italy Summons Israeli Envoy Over Treatment of Flotilla Detainees
(MENAFN) Giorgia Meloni has summoned Israel’s ambassador in Italy after condemning the treatment of activists detained during Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
In a strongly worded statement issued Wednesday, Meloni described video footage showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting detainees as “unacceptable.”
“It is inadmissible that these demonstrators, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that violates human dignity,” she said.
The incident has added tension to Italy’s evolving stance on the Gaza conflict. While Meloni initially aligned closely with Israeli positions following the October 2023 Hamas attacks, she has since expressed increasing concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, describing it as “unacceptable” and warning that Israel may have exceeded “the principle of proportionality.”
The Italian government has requested formal clarification from Israeli authorities and is demanding the immediate release of Italian citizens detained during the operation. Rome has also called for an apology over what it described as disregard for its diplomatic appeals and “total contempt” toward its requests.
The diplomatic dispute followed Israel’s interception of a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, which reportedly departed from Türkiye. Around 430 activists from more than 40 countries were detained during the operation, with some held for several days.
Footage posted by Ben-Gvir on social media showed detainees kneeling with their hands bound, while he appeared to mock them and urged that they be held “for a long, long time.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later distanced himself from the conduct, stating that Ben-Gvir’s behavior was “not consistent with the values and norms of the State of Israel.” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also said the minister’s actions “caused harm” and described them as a “disgraceful display.”
Ben-Gvir responded by defending his stance and accusing critics within the Israeli government of yielding to what he called “supporters of terrorism.”
Israeli officials, meanwhile, defended the interception itself, describing the flotilla as a “PR stunt at the service of Hamas.”
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