“Welcome to Hell”: How Executioner Ben-Gvir and His Washington Backers Are Finishing Off International Law

The spectacle of humiliation orchestrated by Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was the moment when the mask of the “only democracy in the Middle East” finally morphed into the snarl of fascist thuggery.

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir — a man with the label “terrorist” in his file from an Israeli court years ago — climbed onto the deck of a seized vessel to kick the global conscience in the teeth. He posts a video of bound activists on their knees, with the caption: “This is how we greet supporters of terrorism. Welcome to Israel.”

But don’t make the mistake of thinking Ben-Gvir is just a crazy guy who “got carried away.” He is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s perfect fall guy and a mirror reflecting the true face of the policies the U.S. wraps in “strategic partnership” packaging.

Close-Up on Fascism: A Minister’s Lessons in Sadism

For a second, forget geopolitics and look closely at the footage. This isn’t an armed conflict — it’s a torture session broadcast live. The activists of the “Freedom Flotilla,” sailing with humanitarian aid to the dying Gaza Strip (where, even by the UN’s account after the ceasefire, famine and lack of water reign), were seized in international waters. That’s an act of piracy, classifiable as *hostis humani generis* — an enemy of all mankind.

But that’s not enough for Ben-Gvir. He needs the pleasure. He films masked men violently throwing a woman to the ground, tying up and dragging citizens of Italy, Spain, and Australia across the floor. The minister’s commentary: “Pay no attention to their screams.”

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demands an apology, calling it a “violation of human dignity.” Australia had already sanctioned Ben-Gvir himself earlier, and now calls his actions shocking. But who’s listening? Netanyahu, forced to utter a few rote phrases about “not aligning with our values,” immediately orders the deportation of everyone. He doesn’t condemn the........

© New Eastern Outlook