Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has condemned the actions of a far-right Israeli minister who posted a video of himself abusing bound activists captured while trying to sail an aid flotilla to Gaza.
Wong joined international condemnation of the footage, which shows Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, waving an Israeli flag and mocking and taunting the detainees, including shouting: “The people of Israel live” in the face of one bound man.
Among the flotilla detainees are 11 Australian activists who were taken into custody by Israeli forces off the coast of Cyprus earlier this week, but it is not known if they were present in Ben-Gvir’s video.
In a statement, Wong said “the images we have seen are shocking and unacceptable”.
“We condemn the actions of Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir – who Australia has sanctioned – and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained,” Wong said on Thursday morning.
“I have asked Australia’s Ambassador to Israel to make representations to Israel, reiterating our call for the release of the detained Australians and for Israel to ensure no ill treatment of any detainees and to act in line with international obligations.”
In a post on social media, Wong added: “I have also directed DFAT [the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] to call in Israel’s Ambassador to Australia to reinforce this message.”
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, described Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as “despicable” and said the minister had “betrayed the dignity of his nation” after the video was published on his social media account with the caption “Welcome to Israel”.
In the video, dozens of men and women are seen kneeling in rows, with their foreheads to the ground and their hands zip-tied behind their back.
The detained Australians are academics, doctors, students, activists and film-makers, including Anny Mokotow, Dr Bianca Pullman-Webb, Neve O’Connor, Violet Coco, Gemma O’Toole, Sam Woripa Watson, Zack Schofield, Helen O’Sullivan, Juliet Lamont, Isla Lamont and Surya McEwan.
On Tuesday, four of their parents and loved ones held a press conference in Melbourne where O’Toole’s mother, Suzie O’Toole, said she was “terrified” for the 23-year-old’s wellbeing.
The Australian government had been seeking to meet the detainees at the earliest opportunity.
Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at the Australian National University, raised concerns about Israel’s actions. He said while a naval blockade is a legitimate naval warfare act during an armed conflict, there was “no legal basis under international law” for Israel to enforce its blockade off the coast of Cyprus. He said this was because there was no international armed conflict between Israel and Palestine, despite Israel’s position that a blockade was legitimate due to the threat posed by Hamas.
