France and several European nations have taken diplomatic action against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after videos showed him mocking detained Gaza flotilla activists.
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France has banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering its territory. The decision, announced on Saturday by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, follows footage of Ben-Gvir taunting foreign activists who were detained by Israeli forces after a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was intercepted at sea.
Israeli naval commandos intercepted all of the more than 50 boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla on May 19, 2026, taking more than 430 activists aboard Israeli vessels and bringing them to Israel. The flotilla had set sail from Turkey and was aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
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After the activists were in Ashdod, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video on social media on May 20, 2026, showing himself taunting the detained activists. Dozens were kneeling on the ground with their hands tied at an Ashdod port facility.
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In the video, Ben-Gvir waved a large Israeli flag above the detained activists, who could be seen blindfolded and kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their backs, and said: “Welcome to Israel, we are the masters.”
He also said: “They came with much pride, as big heroes. Look. Look. See how they look now. Not heroes and not anything. Terror supporters. I tell Prime Minister Netanyahu: Give them to me for much more time. Give them to us for the terrorists’ prisons. This is how it should look.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced the ban on X, stating: “As of today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory. This decision follows his unspeakable actions toward French and European citizens who were passengers on the Global Sumud Flotilla.”
À compter de ce jour, Itamar Ben-Gvir est interdit d’accès au territoire français.
Cette décision fait suite à ses agissements inqualifiables à l’égard de citoyens français et européens passagers de la flottille Global Smud.
Nous désapprouvons la démarche de cette flottille…
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) May 23, 2026
Barrot said France disapproved of the flotilla’s approach, which he described as producing “no useful effect,” but added that France “cannot tolerate French nationals being threatened, intimidated, or brutalized in this way, especially by a public official.”
Barrot also noted that Ben-Gvir’s actions “follow a long list of shocking statements and actions, incitements to hatred and violence against Palestinians” and have received criticism from “a large number of Israeli government and political figures.”
France called on the European Union to follow suit. Barrot said he was asking the EU, alongside his Italian counterpart, to impose sanctions against Ben-Gvir.
The flotilla incident drew additional scrutiny due to reports of mistreatment during detention. Flotilla organizers said in a statement on Telegram that freed activists had reported at least 15 cases of sexual abuse while in Israeli detention. The alleged abuse included humiliating strip searches, sexual taunting, groping, and multiple accounts of rape.
According to lawyers representing the flotilla, three activists were taken to hospital as a result of Israeli violence.
The Israel Prison Service denied the allegations. It said all detained activists were under arrest “in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights.”
Israel Prisons Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi reportedly approved Ben-Gvir’s conduct, including the activists being restrained, forced to kneel, and having Hebrew music played while Ben-Gvir paraded with an Israeli flag.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare public rebuke of Ben-Gvir, saying: “Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
Netanyahu stated he had instructed authorities to deport the activists as quickly as possible. Ben-Gvir responded in the Israeli parliament by accusing critics of “bowing to the terrorists”. He also said any Israeli apology would send a message of “weakness” and “surrender.”
France was not alone in its response. Multiple governments across Europe took formal action against Ben-Gvir.
Poland imposed a five-year entry ban on Ben-Gvir and summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Warsaw after Polish citizens were among those detained during the raid. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote: “In the democratic world we do not abuse and gloat over people in custody.”
Britain summoned Israel’s top diplomat in London. It said it “strongly condemned” Ben-Gvir’s conduct and demanded explanations about the treatment and detention conditions of the activists.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had made a formal request to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas for the bloc to discuss sanctions against Ben-Gvir, citing his “unacceptable actions” against the activists. Spain also joined those calls.
European Council President Antonio Costa said he was “appalled” by Ben-Gvir’s treatment of the flotilla members. He called this behaviour “completely unacceptable.”
Even the administration of US President Donald Trump issued a rare critique, with a spokesperson describing Ben-Gvir’s conduct as “despicable.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir is Israeli politician and lawyer. He has served as Israel’s Minister of National Security since 2022, with brief two-month break in early 2025. He represents the far-right Otzma Yehudit party in the Knesset.
Ben-Gvir resigned in January 2025 in response to the three-phase Gaza war ceasefire deal. But he returned to government two months later after an agreement took place following the continuation of airstrikes in Gaza.
France’s ban adds to a growing pattern of European governments taking formal diplomatic steps against Ben-Gvir over his conduct. At least 11 countries, eight of them European, summoned Israeli ambassadors in connection with the flotilla interception and Ben-Gvir’s behavior.
The EU is now formally weighing broader collective action, though member states remain divided on the question of sanctions.
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