National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir strongly called out Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar from the podium in the Knesset plenum, after the latter criticized him for confronting detained pro-Palestinian flotilla activists and publishing footage of the encounter online.
"Minister Sa'ar got scared, he just got scared, and he began preaching to me about damage done," Ben-Gvir opened his remarks. "The truth is the opposite: the one who did damage to the State of Israel is Gideon Sa'ar. His bowing his head to the terrorists is shameful. The days when our country was a punching bag are over. The days of terrorists coming to harm us and us having to be apologetic, nice, and accepting are over. I thought Gideon Sa'ar learned something from October 7th. When he apologizes, he shows weakness, subservience, and submissiveness."
Ben-Gvir referred to the hundreds of flotilla participants as "terror supporters and arch-terrorists," who came with no humanitarian aid, only with a clear statement to destroy the state and hurt soldiers.
The minister continued to attack Sa'ar and presented a completely opposing security and diplomatic worldview. "He's worried about the images? I'm worried about the security of the citizens of Israel. He looks for international sympathy; we look for deterrence. A state that doesn't know how to set boundaries, enforce, and rule, invites its enemies to its doors and will end up sacrificing its security on the altar of failed diplomacy."
Ben-Gvir concluded his remarks by voicing full support for the police officers and Israel Prison Service staff who dealt with the detainees: "I'm proud to be the minister who oversees the organizations that operated today. Whoever wants to harm our fighters will be handcuffed and shackled. And yes, there will be all sorts of images that Gideon Sa'ar doesn't like. We will not endanger our fighters. Am Yisrael Chai."
Ben-Gvir's conduct during his visit to the detained activists and his decision to publish footage of it to the world led to severe international diplomatic backlash, with several countries summoning the Israeli ambassadors for clarification.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar was especially angered by his peer's actions, attacking Ben-Gvir and accusing him of directly harming Israel's national interests.
"You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display - and not for the first time," Sa'ar wrote in response to the incident. "You have undone tremendous, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people - from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others."
He concluded: "No, you are not the face of Israel."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented on the incident, criticizing his Minister's actions: "Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible."
The Foreign Minister’s frustration came after days in which officials from the Foreign Ministry and the IDF worked around the clock to manage the public diplomacy and media campaign surrounding the takeover of the Turkish flotilla.
Officials in the diplomatic establishment said that international criticism over the takeover itself had been expected and was being managed, but that the official footage released by Itamar Ben-Gvir from the detention facility completely changed the situation and triggered harsh reactions from Europe.