This week, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video on social media showing him taunting activists aboard a boat detained by Israeli forces.
In the footage, a handcuffed activist chants “Free Palestine” as Ben-Gvir walks past. She is immediately grabbed by the hair by a security officer and shoved to the ground. Ben-Gvir looks on with evident glee. In another segment, dozens of detained individuals are bound and kneeling, foreheads pressed to the floor, held in a stress position while the national anthem of the Israeli government blares through loudspeakers. Ben-Gvir waves a large Israeli flag and shouts at them: “Welcome to Israel – we are the ones in charge here.”
Knowing his actions will not face serious consequences, Ben-Gvir carried on regardless. His country had just evaded a genocide accusation broadcast globally.
Condemnation came swiftly, especially from governments whose citizens were among the detainees. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the footage “unacceptable” and a violation of human dignity. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would not tolerate mistreatment of Spanish nationals and would push the EU to impose sanctions against Ben-Gvir, after already barring him from entering Spain. Even the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Ben-Gvir had “betrayed the dignity of his own nation.”
But whether the outrage is genuine or not, sanctioning Ben-Gvir targets only one link in a much larger genocidal machine. This is the same tactic European nations employed when faced with illegal settlement construction in the West Bank: punishing a few violent settlers while leaving intact the state structure that plans, funds, and protects the settlement project.
The video also caused shock within Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly reprimanded Ben-Gvir, saying his behavior was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar directly criticized him on social media: “Willfully harming our state in this shameful performance – and not for the first time.” Saar added that Ben-Gvir had “destroyed immense, professional, and successful efforts by many people.” For Saar and Netanyahu, the issue was not what Ben-Gvir did, but that he blatantly exposed practices that have long been standard treatment of Palestinians.
The video reflects a pattern, not an anomaly. More than 9,600 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli detention facilities. Of those, over 3,500 are held under administrative detention, imprisoned indefinitely without charge or trial. Hundreds of children are among the detainees. Prisoners face systematic starvation, beatings, denial of medical care, and sexual violence ranging from forced strip-searches to rape. At least 84 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody since October 2023 due to torture, starvation, and lack of medical treatment.
Saar ended his post about Ben-Gvir by asserting that this is “not the face of Israel.” He is wrong. This is exactly the face of Israel. Violent. Ugly. And cruel.
