Israel Deports Gaza Flotilla Activists After Global Outcry
Israel deported all foreign activists taken from a Gaza-bound flotilla. Over 430 activists from around the world were detained after being stopped at sea on Monday.
A video showed Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting the detained activists. The video caused anger around the world.
The UK called in Israel's top diplomat to protest the incident. France also called in a senior Israeli diplomat over the video.
Canada, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands did the same. Among those deported on Thursday were 37 French nationals.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Ben-Gvir's actions were not in line with Israel's values. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called Ben-Gvir's conduct a disgraceful display.
But Ben-Gvir faced little punishment. The incident was described as extremely embarrassing for the Israeli government.
Key Terms 4
- Flotilla A group of ships sailing together toward a destination
- Deported Forced to leave a country and sent back home
- Summoned a diplomat A country officially calls in another country's representative to protest
- Ben-Gvir Israel's national security minister who taunted detained activists on video