Italy Calls for EU Sanctions Against Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Over Flotilla Detentions

Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani formally requested on May 22 that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas place sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on the agenda of the next EU foreign ministers' meeting. ^[1][2] The request follows Ben-Gvir's publication on May 20 of videos showing himself taunting approximately 430 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, who were held at the port of Ashdod after Israeli naval forces intercepted the vessel in international waters. ^[3][4] The footage showed detainees forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied behind their backs while Ben-Gvir waved an Israeli flag above them. ^[5][6] Tajani framed the request as a response to "seizing the activists in international waters and subjecting them to harassment and humiliation, in violation of the most basic human rights." ^[1]

Italy was not alone. Ireland and Spain also called for EU-level sanctions, and within hours of the videos' release, Canada, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands joined Italy in summoning their respective Israeli ambassadors. ^[7][3] Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin separately urged European Council President António Costa in a letter, dated May 21, to raise the matter at the June European Council meeting. ^[8] Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said sanctions should be imposed "on an urgent basis," while Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris called for a "strong, unambiguous EU response." ^[9] The Global Sumud Flotilla had departed from the Turkish port of Marmaris on May 14 in what organizers described as a third attempt to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. ^[10]

The diplomatic row exposed an existing fault line in Brussels over punitive action against Israeli officials. Under the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy framework, individual sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, require unanimity among all 27 member states. ^[11] The European Commission formally proposed placing Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich under a visa ban and asset freeze in September 2025; Hungary vetoed that measure. ^[12][13] In June 2025, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway separately imposed sanctions on both ministers over allegations of inciting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. ^[14] Several EU member states, including Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium, subsequently moved unilaterally to bar Ben-Gvir and Smotrich from their territories after the bloc-wide effort stalled. ^[15]

The flotilla interception itself carries its own legal dimension. Foreign governments argued that Israel lacked jurisdiction to seize a vessel operating outside its territorial waters, a position grounded in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and longstanding rules governing freedom of navigation on the high seas. ^[7] Israel has intercepted nearly every Gaza-bound flotilla since 2010. ^[16] The Israeli government characterized the Global Sumud Flotilla as "a PR stunt at the service of Hamas" and disputed the legal framing, maintaining that it has the authority to enforce its naval blockade on vessels attempting to enter Gaza. ^[17][18] Israeli rights group Adalah confirmed that detainees were brought into Israel against their will and said attorneys had sought legal consultations with them at the Ashdod facility. ^[19]

Within the Israeli government, the response to Ben-Gvir was notably divided. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Ben-Gvir's conduct was "not in line with Israel's values and norms," though he maintained Israel had every right to intercept what he called "provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters." ^[20] Netanyahu also instructed authorities to deport the activists as soon as possible, a position that implicitly rejected Ben-Gvir's public appeal to imprison them in Israel. ^[21][13] Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar was more direct, publicly accusing Ben-Gvir of having "deliberately caused damage to the state in this disgraceful performance," and writing, "No, you are not the face of Israel." ^[22] The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed on May 22 that all detainees had been deported, with Turkey operating special flights to repatriate its citizens and other nationals. ^[23][21]

The current episode represents a potential inflection point for EU-Israel relations, though structural obstacles remain. Any formal sanctions designation requires unanimous member-state approval, and the Czech Republic remains among the states expected to resist. ^[11][24] EU foreign ministers agreed earlier this month, for the first time in over two years, to sanctions on a narrow category of violent Israeli settlers, a shift made possible by a change of government in Hungary. ^[25] Whether Italy's reversal, from a habitual blocker of Ben-Gvir sanctions to their most prominent advocate, reshapes the consensus calculus in Brussels will likely become clearer at the June European Council meeting. ^[26]