EU Commission finds treatment of Gaza flotilla activists unacceptable

BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) – The European Commission found the treatment of the Gaza flotilla activists shown in a video released by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is “completely unacceptable”, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

“Every detained person must be treated with safety, dignity and according to international law,” spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said in a post on X. “We call on the Israeli government to ensure the protection and dignified treatment of these activists, including several EU citizens,” he added.

Israeli police forced activists who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs while Ben-Gvir looked on, drawing criticism from foreign leaders and even from inside Israel’s own government.

The activists were detained after their flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Tuesday and later taken to an Israeli port.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Editing by Franklin Paul)