On X $TWTR, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar turned on his cabinet colleague, declaring that Ben-Gvir had "knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display" and insisting that Ben-Gvir was "not the face of Israel," according to the Los Angeles Times. Posting to X, U.S.-based Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said the episode amounted to "reckless grandstanding" that was out of step with the position of the Israeli government, according to CBS News. Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said Ben-Gvir had "betrayed dignity of his nation," according to CBS News.
From the floor of the Israeli parliament, Ben-Gvir fired back, calling Sa'ar's posture tantamount to "bowing to the terrorists" and warning that issuing an apology would project "weakness," "submission," and "surrender," according to the Los Angeles Times.
Governments in Italy, France, and Greece each summoned Israel's ambassador in their respective capitals. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the footage "unacceptable" and demanded an apology, describing the treatment of the activists as a "violation of human dignity," according to The New York Times. Jean-Noel Barrot, France's foreign minister, wrote on X that regardless of one's views on the flotilla, French citizens taking part in it were owed respectful treatment and prompt release, according to CBS News. Greece's foreign ministry called Ben-Gvir's actions "unacceptable and entirely condemnable," according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Sumud Global Flotilla, which set out from Turkey bound for Gaza, was stopped by Israeli naval forces roughly 167 miles offshore, resulting in the detention of approximately 430 people. Israel dismissed the mission as "a PR stunt at the service of Hamas" and said the vessels carried only a token quantity of aid, according to the Los Angeles Times.
