LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Israel is facing global criticism for its treatment of about 400 activists it detained this week. They were on a flotilla headed to Gaza. Israel's navy intercepted them in international waters. Canada and several EU countries summoned senior Israeli diplomats over this. The U.N. Human Rights Office is calling for investigations into allegations of abuse. And now Italy wants to punish Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Reporter Megan Williams joins us from Rome to talk about all this. Good morning, Megan.
MEGAN WILLIAMS: Good morning.
FADEL: So what is Italy asking the EU to do?
WILLIAMS: Well, Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, says he's asked the European Union's foreign policy chief to put on the agenda sanctions against Israel's National Security Minister Ben-Gvir when EU foreign ministers meet in June. Now, that's a notable escalation for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, which has generally sought to maintain close ties with Israel. The trigger was Ben-Gvir's own video from the Israeli Port of Ashdod that he posted on Wednesday. And that went viral. In it, he's walking past detained activists from various countries who are kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ITAMAR BEN-GVIR: (Speaking Hebrew).
WILLIAMS: And he's waving an Israeli flag there and saying, in Hebrew, welcome to Israel. We are the masters. Now Italy wants the EU to consider sanctions against Ben-Gvir.
FADEL: Now, the activists were expelled from Israel on Thursday. What are they saying happened to them?
WILLIAMS: Two Italians were actually the first to return home. And they said Israeli forces shot at the flotilla, beat the activists, tased them and taunted them with that same phrase, welcome to Israel. One of the men, reporter Alessandro Mantovani, described it this way.
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ALESSANDRO MANTOVANI: (Speaking Italian).
WILLIAMS: "A place of terror," he said. The rest of the activists were deported to Turkey on Thursday. Now, video footage showed some getting off the plane barefoot with bruises and black eyes and other injuries. American activist Alex Colston was one of them. Here he is speaking to reporters.
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ALEX COLSTON: We were taken to a prison boat. Me, personally, I was kept in cuffs where I can't feel my hands anymore. I was kicked in the ribs multiple times.
FADEL: What's Israel saying?
WILLIAMS: Israel says its naval blockade of Gaza is lawful and necessary for its own protection, and that no live ammunition was used against the flotilla. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Ben-Gvir's handling of the activists was, quote, "not in line with Israel's values and norms."
FADEL: And how far is Italy prepared to go?
WILLIAMS: Italy is trying to draw a very careful line here. It's asking the EU to consider sanctions on Ben-Gvir personally, but not on Israel as a country. And that distinction matters because along with Germany, Italy still does not back suspending the broader EU-Israeli association agreement over Gaza, which involves trade and would have real impact. So Rome is sounding tougher after the flotilla allegations. But its broader policy really has not shifted much at all.
FADEL: Reporter Megan Williams in Rome. Thank you, Megan.
WILLIAMS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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