Canada and its allies should sanction Israel and call for the prosecution of its minister who posted a video of himself tormenting detainees arrested for trying to deliver aid on board a flotilla to Gaza, human rights experts say.
“If Canada believes that such behaviour is ‘unacceptable’ it should prove it,” Mark Kersten, an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice who has written a book about the International Criminal Court (ICC) told The Maple by email.
“That means actually doing something, not just saying something. Too often in the wake of such events, Canadian officials denounce them and then move on,” he said.
On Wednesday, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s minister of national security, posted a video to X with the caption, “Welcome to Israel.”
The clip shows a female activist shout, “Free, Free Palestine.” A man in a mask then grabs the activist by the back of her head and pushes her to the ground.
Ben-Gvir walks by, smiling. The minister also waves the Israeli flag while the activists kneel on the ground with what appear to be zip ties bounding their wrists.
Ben-Gvir is also shown chanting “Am Yisrael Chai,” or “the nation of Israel lives,” at a detainee who has his hands bound.
The video also shows Israeli troops pulling and dragging detainees, who are hunched over facing the ground.
According to a statement from the flotilla organizers, 12 Canadians were among those captured by Israeli forces.
‘Symptom of impunity’
In response to the video, Canada should call for Ben-Gvir’s “immediate prosecution” by the ICC, Kersten said on X.
“The conduct is deplorable and degrading. What is also clear is that such proud and public displays of inhumane treatment is only possible if the person in question, Ben Gvir, knows nothing will happen to him. It’s a symptom of impunity,” Kersten told The Maple.
It’s possible that the conduct in the video constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment,” Kersten said, but more details are needed.
“What worries me more, in some ways, is that if this is what happens on camera, one can only imagine what horrors take place off camera,” he added.
Shane Martinez, a criminal defence and human rights lawyer in Toronto, pointed out that Canada continues to cooperate with Israel militarily.
“Despite this abominable treatment, Canada continues to engage in military cooperation with Israel through the Canada-Israel Strategic Partnership. This includes joint training, intelligence sharing, and material procurement,” Martinez wrote on X.
“Performative outrage with zero consequences.”
As reported by The Maple, Canadian troops participated in an “international seminar” showcasing Israel’s genocidal tactics in Gaza last year and others travelled to Israel last summer for training in how to use newly purchased Israeli anti-tank missiles.
Martinez’s comments were written in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney, who condemned the video on Wednesday.
“The abominable treatment of civilians aboard the flotilla, including that which is documented in footage shared by Itamar Ben-Gvir, is unacceptable,” Carney said.
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand earlier said that her staff summoned Israeli ambassador Iddo Moed in response, but hasn’t announced any further steps.
“What we’ve seen, including the video shared by Itamar Ben-Gvir, is deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable,” Anand said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Canada has already imposed strict sanctions on Ben-Gvir, including asset freezes and a travel ban in response to his repeated incitement of violence,” she said.
Anand said her staff had not yet heard back from the ambassador.
“It’s a matter of humane treatment of civilians and I can assure you that we are acting with absolute urgency on this serious matter,” she said.
The governments of France and Italy have also said they will summon their Israeli ambassadors in response to the video.
“The images of the Israeli minister Ben Gvir are unacceptable. It is inadmissible that these demonstrators, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that violates human dignity,” said Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, responded directly to Meloni on X.
“[It] is good to condemn Ben Gvir for the humiliation of the Flotilla members (a luxury treatment compared to what is inflicted on Palestinians in Israeli prisons),” she wrote.
“But words are not enough: Italy must stop opposing the suspension of the EU-Israel Agreement.”
The EU-Israel Association Agreement is a free-trade agreement that gives Israeli companies preferential access to European markets. The EU is Israel’s number one trading partner.
12 Canadians detained
As of May 19, Israel had detained nearly 430 civilians, including 12 Canadians, who were on board boats in a flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, according to a press release from Global Sumud Canada, a branch of the organization that has sent flotillas to the besieged enclave since the summer of 2025.
Family members and friends of the detained Canadians requested a meeting with Carney on May 16 but haven’t heard back, the press release said.
“Global Sumud Canada remains extremely concerned for the safety of the illegally detained participants, as survivors of the illegal April 29 interception previously reported torture, physical violence, sexual assaults, and degrading treatment committed by Israeli forces against civilians kidnapped in international waters,” the press release said.
“Despite repeated urgent calls to Global Affairs Canada, Canadian consular authorities in Israel and Cyprus, and numerous federal MPs’ offices, no information has been provided regarding the condition, location, or status of the detained Canadians.”
