US condemns Israel's Ben-Gvir while sanctioning Gaza flotilla organisers

Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video taunting detained activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, prompting multiple countries to summon Israel’s ambassadors. The video showed abducted foreign activists kneeling with hands bound, being shoved to the ground, and Ben-Gvir waving an Israeli flag while shouting and pointing. Mike Huckabee became the first Trump administration official to join criticism of Ben-Gvir, saying he betrayed dignity. Huckabee’s remarks came a day after the US Treasury sanctioned the flotilla organisers. Analysts said the sequence underscored a US double standard toward Israel, Palestinians, and their supporters, and suggested the US and Israel were increasingly out of step with the international community. Michael Omer-Man cited freedom of navigation and mistreatment of civilians as core international law concerns.

"Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting abducted foreign activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, Huckabee's response rang largely hollow, coming a day after the US Department of the Treasury had sanctioned the flotilla organisers. It was the latest incident underscoring a US double standard towards Israel, Palestinians and their supporters, analysts said, and one that showed the US and Israel increasingly out of step with the international community."

"Huckabee made his comments on Wednesday, shortly after Italy, France, the Netherlands and Canada summoned Israeli ambassadors over Ben-Gvir's video, which showed detained activists kneeling on the floor with their hands bound, and at times being shoved to the ground. Ben-Gvir is seen waving an Israeli flag, shouting and pointing over the detainees."

"In a post on X, Huckabee referenced a slew of Israeli officials who have criticised Ben-Gvir for the video, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar. Huckabee pointed to universal outrage from every high-ranking Israeli official, tagging Netanyahu, Saar, the office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter."

"We see a big difference between the US and other Western countries who see things like freedom of navigation in international waters as a fundamental concept of international law that should be respected, not to mention the mistreatment of civilians, said Michael Omer-Man, the Israel-Palestine director at the DAWN advocacy group."

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