Canada’s Mark Carney calls treatment of Gaza flotilla activists ‘appalling’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has expressed indignation at the Israeli government’s “appalling” treatment of participants in a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza.

But in a news release on Monday, he declined to announce any new forms of pressure on Israel’s government.

The statement contained a read-out of a phone call between Carney and Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier in the day. During their talk, Carney demanded an independent investigation into the mistreatment of the activists, who were bound, taunted and forced to kneel on the ground in a video shared last week by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.

“The Prime Minister reiterated that the appalling treatment of civilians, including Canadian citizens, aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla was unacceptable,” the statement said.

Carney also used the phone call to reaffirm that Canada opposes the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as the rampant violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians.

The video shared by Ben-Gvir has sparked global backlash, with several countries issuing formal statements of condemnation.

A handful took further action. On Saturday, for instance, France banned Ben-Gvir from entering its territory, citing his “unspeakable actions towards French and European citizens who were passengers on the Global Sumud Flotilla”.

Poland has likewise pursued a five-year ban against Ben-Gvir. Leaders in France and Italy have also called on the European Union to sanction the Israeli minister.

But Israel has rarely faced serious pressure or consequences beyond rhetoric, despite widespread reports about Israeli settlers and military members attacking and killing Palestinians and pro-Palestinian advocates.

Human rights advocates have highlighted evidence of torture and inhumane conditions in Israeli prisons.

Groups like Amnesty International and B’Tselem have accused Israel of implementing a system of apartheid to discriminate against Palestinians and dispossess them of their land.

The Global Sumud Flotilla was organised as part of an effort to confront Israeli abuses in Gaza, where Israel has led a genocidal war against Palestinians since October 2023.

More than 75,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, with survivors suffering from malnutrition and displacement. In Monday’s statement, Carney called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “catastrophic”.

Activists have repeatedly attempted to reach Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies, but they have so far been intercepted by Israeli forces, which have blockaded Gaza’s access to the outside world.

A new mission was launched in the Mediterranean Sea on April 12, involving a reported 70 boats and 3,000 participants.

Amnesty International Australia estimates that nearly 430 people were detained when Israeli forces boarded their vessels in international waters, in apparent defiance of international law.

Activists said they experienced abuse during their detention. Their accounts reflect those of previous flotilla members, who also alleged mistreatment and abuse in Israeli custody. At least 15 have reported sexual assault, including rape.

Israel has asserted, without any evidence, that the activists were inspired by the Palestinian armed group Hamas. In posting his video of the activists, Ben-Gvir described them as “supporters of terrorism”.

But leaders like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have warned that Israel’s actions “violate human dignity”. Meloni and others have summoned their local Israeli ambassadors to express their concern.

In a separate statement on Monday, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand said she had spoken with her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, and expressed that the Canadian government would provide Israel with evidence of the mistreatment of Canadian citizens who took part in the flotilla.

“I raised that denying Canadian citizens access to consular services while they were detained violates the Vienna Convention and must never happen again,” Anand wrote in a social media post.