Arabic version: فيديو بن غفير يقوض جهود العلاقات العامة الإسرائيلية
A video posted by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting abducted flotilla activists who sought to break the siege on Gaza, has triggered a backlash and dealt a huge blow to Israel’s multimillion-dollar public relations campaign, known as “Hasbara.” The footage, posted on the social media platform X, showed Ben-Gvir gloating as activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla knelt on the floor, blindfolded, with their hands bound at the Port of Ashdod. According to Al Jazeera, the video has led several nations, including Italy, France, and Canada, to summon Israeli ambassadors to express their condemnation of the treatment of the activists.
Israeli naval forces had intercepted the flotilla’s vessels in international waters off the coast of Cyprus, illegally abducting 430 participants. Among them, at least 87 have launched a hunger strike in solidarity with the more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The footage of the activists, bound and blindfolded, has prompted a backlash against Ben-Gvir and highlighted the potential damage to Israel’s international image.
Experts suggest that the Israeli government’s response to the incident, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rapid deportation orders, reflects a concern for public relations rather than genuine moral outrage. Fathi Nimer, a policy fellow, noted that the Hasbara initiative, which typically aims to present Israel’s actions favorably, has been severely undermined by the video.
Critics have pointed out the hypocrisy in U.S. reactions, as the U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned Ben-Gvir’s actions while the U.S. Treasury simultaneously imposed sanctions on the flotilla’s organizers, labeling them as “pro-terror.” This has led to accusations of double standards in U.S. policy towards Israel and Palestine.
For many Palestinians, the treatment of the activists serves as a microcosm of their daily struggles. Mustafa Barghouti, from the Palestinian National Initiative, emphasized that the situation reflects broader systemic issues within the Israeli government. Human rights groups estimate that nearly 100 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 2023, amid widespread reports of starvation, severe beatings and medical neglect, further complicating the narrative surrounding the flotilla incident.
