Foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have strongly condemned what they described as “appalling, degrading and unacceptable” actions by Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir against the participants of a Gaza-bound flotilla held in Israeli detention.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the ministers said Ben-Gvir’s public humiliation of detainees constituted a “disgraceful assault on human dignity” and a "clear violation" of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The ministers also strongly condemned what they described as illegal acts of incitement and violence by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory.
They warned that such provocative actions "fuel hatred and extremism" and undermine efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
The statement called for accountability over Ben-Gvir’s actions and urged concrete measures to end repeated provocations and violations.
It stressed the need to protect human rights, ensure the dignity and humane treatment of all detainees, and uphold international law in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The move follows the circulation of footage appearing to show Ben-Gvir walking among illegally detained activists who were kneeling in tightly packed formations with their hands tied behind their backs.
The flotilla, carrying 428 people from 44 countries, departed Thursday from Marmaris, Türkiye, in an effort to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which has been in place since 2007.
