Politico: EU demands sanctions against Ben-Gvir

Part of the countries of the European Union are advocating for the introduction of sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir against the backdrop of an incident with participants in the pro-Palestinian flotilla Sumud. This is reported by Politico.

The reason for the discussion was footage published by the minister on the social network X showing the arrival of the detained activists. In the video, critics claim, employees of Israeli security forces engage in humiliating treatment of the action participants.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated the need to "urgently" impose restrictions against Ben-Gvir. Poland, in turn, reported its intention to ban the minister from entering the country. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also supported the idea of sanctions.

At the same time, a number of EU states opposed such measures. In particular, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka considers sanctions inappropriate. According to Politico, some European diplomats fear that the restrictions could play into Ben-Gvir's hands ahead of the parliamentary elections in Israel scheduled for October.

Recall that on May 19, the Israeli Foreign Ministry reported the interception of all vessels of the pro-Palestinian flotilla Sumud heading toward the coast of the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli side, about 430 activists were detained.