All posts tagged: Itamar Ben-Gvir

Ben-Gvir calls for killing of ’30 to 40′ Palestinians in Gaza nightly in taped interview with former hostage

Ben-Gvir calls for killing of ’30 to 40′ Palestinians in Gaza nightly in taped interview with former hostage

Published by Sam Flores

An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition publicly advocated for killing “30 to 40” people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced on Sunday, and were quickly shared by media outlets around the world. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the statement while speaking to a former Gaza-held hostage, Rom Braslavski, on his podcast. The pair were discussing Israel’s recovery from Hamas’ 7 October attack, when Ben-Gvir criticised Israel’s recent drawdown of strikes in Gaza. “It’s no secret, I disagree with the prime minister,” he said. “I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night,” said the far-right Israeli lawmaker. “Not just those who pose an immediate threat, there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people,” added Ben-Gvir. FILE – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir smile in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, May 23, 2023 – Ohad Zwigenberg/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved. In the …

France bans Israel’s finance minister, slams him for promoting ‘recolonisation’ of Gaza

France bans Israel’s finance minister, slams him for promoting ‘recolonisation’ of Gaza

Published by Sam Flores

France Tuesday banned Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, the French foreign minister said, as part of coordinated sanctions with other countries over settler violence against Palestinians. France’s sanctions were in coordination with Britain, Canada, Australia, Norway and New Zealand targeting “those responsible for the escalation of settlement activity and violence in the West Bank”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X. He said Smotrich “actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank, which he openly claims, the creation of new settlements in the West Bank, the re-colonisation of Gaza, the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority and its harmful consequences for the Palestinian population”. “This is a policy that the overwhelming majority of the international community, firmly committed to the two-state solution, cannot accept,” Barrot wrote on X. Smotrich is the second member of the Israeli government to be forbidden from entering France in recent months, after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was barred on May 23 for mocking activists detained by Israeli soldiers from a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid …

France bans far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir from French territory

France bans far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir from French territory

Published by Sam Flores

France has ​decided to ​ban Israel’s Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from ​access ‌to ⁠French territory, said Foreign ‌Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on ⁠Saturday, adding that the decision reflected ​anger over ‌the treatment of Gaza-bound flotilla activists. “As from today, ‌Itamar Ben-Gvir is ​banned from entering French territory,” wrote Barrot on ​X. To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices “Along with ​my Italian ​counterpart, I am ​asking the European Union to also take sanctions against Itamar ⁠Ben-Gvir,” he added. Western governments have voiced ‌outrage after Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting Gaza-bound ​flotilla activists being pinned to the ground. Some of the activists have alleged they were beaten and sexually assaulted by Israeli security forces while in detention. Israeli minister Ben-Gvir banned from entering France To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need …

France condemns Israel as it deports 37 French nationals over Gaza flotilla

France condemns Israel as it deports 37 French nationals over Gaza flotilla

Published by Sam Flores

The Israeli government on Thursday released and deported hundreds of flotilla activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Outrage abroad over the activists’ treatment prompted several countries to summon Israeli envoys to hear their concerns. About 420 activists departed Israel on planes bound for Turkey, where they landed Thursday evening in Istanbul following the international outcry sparked by a video showing them being humiliated and mocked while in detention. They were met at the airport by a large support committee, with many activists waving Palestinian flags. Wearing grey sweatsuits and Arab keffiyehs, they descended stairs to the runaway flashing two-fingered salutes and chanting “Free Palestine.” Some appeared to be limping. Israeli authorities ​deported 37 French nationals who were part of the group of ​activists ‌on board ⁠the Gaza-bound aid flotilla to Turkey, France’s ‌Foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said on ⁠Thursday. Confavreux said the French nationals would be repatriated as soon as possible. Turkish foreign ministry sources later confirmed that “a total of 422 flotilla participants, 85 of whom are our citizens, are …

Far-right Israeli minister sparks outcry with video of bound and kneeling Gaza flotilla activists

Far-right Israeli minister sparks outcry with video of bound and kneeling Gaza flotilla activists

Published by Sam Flores

The footage, published on Ben-Gvir’s X account, shows dozens of activists on a military boat with the Israeli national anthem blaring and the minister seen waving an Israeli flag. One handcuffed activist shown in the video was immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel after shouting, “Free Palestine” as Ben-Gvir was walking by.  The video sparked an immediate outcry both internationally and within Israel.   Italy’s government ​was among the first to react, calling Israel’s treatment ‌of the flotilla activists ​”unacceptable” and saying the Israeli ambassador would be summoned for ‌an explanation. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also called for the immediate release of any detained Italian citizens and demanded an apology.   French Foreign ​Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he had also summoned the Israeli ambassador. “Mr. Ben-Gvir’s actions towards the passengers of ‌the Global Sumud Flotilla, denounced ​by his own colleagues in the Israeli government, are unacceptable,” ​Barrot said in ​a post on ​X.     Within Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Ben-Gvir over his handling of the detained flotilla activists, adding that he had ordered their deportation. Netanyahu called …

Israeli attacks on Christians and Christianity demand answers

Israeli attacks on Christians and Christianity demand answers

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The Israeli government has been working overtime to address the rage resulting from a documented video showing an Israeli soldier destroying a statue of the crucified Jesus that had fallen from a cross in a Lebanese village. In a photo, the soldier is seen taking a sledgehammer to the head of the Jesus statue. Israel’s military reportedly pulled the soldier from combat duty and gave him a 30-day jail sentence, an acknowledgment of the harm internationally that the incident caused. Unfortunately, this is not a one-off incident. The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land issued a statement condemning the desecration and insisted that “this was not an isolated incident,” citing previous reports of desecration. It demanded immediate disciplinary action and assurances against future acts. Catholics and other Christians know from experience that continued failure of accountability and impunity are part of a pattern in Israel. Weeks earlier, a priest was killed in Lebanon, and during Palm Sunday the Latin Patriarch was denied entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in …

‘An eye for an eye’: Israel’s death penalty law is retaliatory and electorally motivated

‘An eye for an eye’: Israel’s death penalty law is retaliatory and electorally motivated

Published by Sam Flores

“This is historic! With God’s help, soon we will execute them one by one!” These were the words spoken by Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday, March 31, just after a 62–48 vote in the Israeli Knesset that passed a law to apply the death penalty to convicted ‘terrorists’.   Ben-Gvir celebrated the Death Penalty for Terrorists Bill by popping open bottles of champagne and embracing fellow supporters at the Knesset. In the run-up to the vote, he had worn a lapel pin in the shape of a noose, symbolising his support for the legislation. Limor Son Har Melech, a member of Itamar Ben-Gvir’s nationalist party, Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), was in tears as she read out the results. Melech had introduced the law along with Nissim Vaturi, Knesset deputy speaker and member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch …

Can Zionism be rebranded?

Can Zionism be rebranded?

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The news hit hard: Only one-third of American Jews identify as Zionist, even as nearly 90% support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, according to a new survey conducted by Jewish Federations of North America. On the one hand, you might ask, why does it matter, as long as they support Israel? Zionism began as the desire to create a Jewish state. But a Jewish state is already old news — 78 years old, to be precise — Israel is a fact on the ground. When people hesitate to embrace the word “Zionism,” we lose more than a label. We lose an idea. And, without vulgarizing the topic, we lose the “brand.” How did that happen? First, the anti-Zionists and the antisemites stole the Zionist narrative and prevented us from telling the story on our own terms. They recycled Soviet antisemitic propaganda that recast Zionism as imperialism and racism. They borrowed the eliminationist rhetoric of radical Islamist movements that call openly for Israel’s destruction. They repeat academic jargon that labels …