This week’s central figure was the Minister of National Security, the convicted criminal appointed by the defendant Netanyahu. On Wednesday (see below), he celebrated together with his entourage while humiliating participants of the international flotilla who had been brought to the Port of Ashdod after being captured by the Israeli navy in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Testimonies by these activists were published in the international media and are shaping Israel’s image around the world. Noam Batan’s second-place finish in Eurovision will not improve the standing of the Zionist state of 2026.
One testimony came from Margaret Conolly, a doctor and sister of Ireland’s president, Catherine Martina Anne Conolly. According to her account, soldiers and prison service personnel treated the flotilla participants cruelly, and she said that if this was how they were treated, one could begin to imagine how Palestinian prisoners are treated. In an interview with Irish radio, she said that she and her companions were held for hours with their heads on the floor, forbidden to look at their captors, and forbidden to communicate with one another. The president stated: “I am very proud of my sister.”
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said on Friday, ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, that ten EU member states had requested a ban on trade in products originating from Israeli settlements. Following the publication of Ben-Gvir’s video, Poland announced that it would ban his entry into the country. A similar proposal is expected to be raised in the European Union in June.
Another detainee, Maryam Hajjal, was interviewed on French television. She described harsh experiences of abusive treatment, violence, and sexual harassment during her detention aboard the Israeli ship to which she had been transferred. “On that ship, which we called the ‘torture ship,’ I was a victim of torture… They took us one by one into a black container… There were three soldiers inside that container. One of the flotilla participants was lying on the floor with his trousers pulled down. They pushed my head forward, and then one of them started touching my breasts. Afterwards, I received strong, deafening slaps to the head, and the touching continued.”
Journalist Alessandro Mantovani and Italian parliament member Dario Crutnuto testified that they were held in containers, given very little bread and water, and beaten with fists, kicks, clubs, rifle butts, and tasers. The legal team of the Adalah organization reported that activists removed from the flotilla ships were subjected to sexual harassment and severe violence. Some detainees suffered broken bones. The headline of an article in the British Guardian summarized the situation: “No One Represents Israel Better Than Ben-Gvir.”
Sunday – Khirbet a-Tawil – A settler driving an ATV ran over a sheep. Almost daily, settlers recklessly drive state-funded utility vehicles through the flocks of Palestinians grazing near their homes, scattering the animals and injuring sheep. A police complaint was filed, and an investigation was opened. Following publication of the incident footage, there was extensive media interest. Rafa’, owner of the flock, told Ynet after the event: “The settler who ran over the sheep causes trouble every day. One day he comes to the house, another day he follows me in the pasture and sprays pepper spray. These settlers are criminals. Every day they cause trouble.”
Police arrested two settlers suspected of setting fire to a structure and attempting to torch a vehicle during the night, not far from Susya in the southern Hebron Hills. The settlers arrived in the Wadi al-Rahim area of Masafer Yatta and threw Molotov cocktails into the home of one of the residents.
Monday – “Four bulldozers, accompanied by several military jeeps and many uniformed personnel armed from head to toe, entered the village of al-Walaja. And because this has already become routine, the question when the forces invade is never ‘why?’ but always ‘where?’ Where will they turn now? Which family’s life will they destroy this time? Because al-Walaja has no master plan, and without a master plan there are no building permits, and without permits, any construction — even a terrace or a storage shed — is destined for demolition. By definition.” Thus wrote Naomi Zussman in Haaretz, describing the demolition of a building shell intended to house four apartments in al-Walaja, Area C near Jerusalem. After 1967 the village was split in two: part annexed to Israel, part remaining in the West Bank. Occupation routine.
Tuesday – Reserve Captain Itamar Sapir, 27, was killed in an encounter with Hezbollah operatives while searching buildings in a village in southern Lebanon.
Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich declared that he would sign an order to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar after learning that a confidential request for international arrest warrants had reportedly been submitted by the prosecutor of the Hague court against him, Ministers Ben-Gvir and Struck, and two military officers (presumably Chiefs of Staff Halevi and Zamir). According to him, “Issuing arrest warrants against the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, and the Finance Minister is a declaration of war. The hands are The Hague’s hands, but the voice is the Palestinian Authority’s voice. This organization has opened a war and it will get war. I am not a submissive Jew… I promise all our enemies — this is only the beginning.” The next day, ten caravans were brought to the village compound.
Wednesday – Footage released by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from his visit to the Port of Ashdod, where international flotilla activists to Gaza were being detained, triggered widespread international condemnation. Five European countries, along with Canada, announced that they would summon Israeli ambassadors for clarification talks following the footage.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appointed Ben-Gvir, distanced himself from the actions, stating that “the way Minister Ben-Gvir behaved toward the flotilla activists does not align with the values and norms of Israel.” The Foreign Minister also criticized Ben-Gvir, saying he had squandered “enormous professional and successful efforts made by many — from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry employees and many others.”
In contrast, Transportation Minister Miri Regev did not miss the opportunity to court voters and arrived at the Port of Ashdod, In the videos, flotilla activists are seen handcuffed, kneeling with their heads bowed while the Israeli national anthem plays in the background, and a security officer forcibly pushes to the ground an activist shouting “Free Palestine.” The National Security Minister is seen telling a handcuffed activist, “The people of Israel live,” and while waving an Israeli flag declared: “Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords here.” He was accompanied by Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi and Police Commissioner Danny Levy.
Friday – Staff Sergeant Noam Hamburger, 23, from Atlit, was killed by an explosive drone strike inside Israeli territory near the Lebanese border. Hamburger served as a technology and maintenance soldier in the 401st Brigade. Two additional soldiers were wounded in the incident, one seriously and one lightly.
Activists from “Looking the Occupation in the Eye” stood, as they do every week, at the Za’atara junction for a quiet one-hour demonstration. Unlike ordinary Fridays, because of the holiday, the protest was relatively calm due to the small number of settler vehicles. Palestinians passing through the junction welcomed the demonstrators. At the end of the protest, activists were presented with a military closed-zone order.
Saturday – al-Mughayyir, Ramallah district – Palestinian families, women, men, and children, went out to work their land very close to the village homes. Settlers who arrived at the scene violently drove the Palestinians away because they could, as one settler child said: “I am the police, I am the army, I am the Shin Bet, I am a settler, I am everything.” The army that was called to the scene arrested Palestinians, including children.
Today, an Isuzu D-MAX pickup truck — the new acquisition that will serve activists of “Looking the Occupation in the Eye” carrying out 24/7 protective presence among the farming community on the outskirts of Aqraba — arrived in Khirbet a-Tawil. The vehicle (second-hand) was purchased thanks to donations from supporting citizens in Israel and abroad.
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