Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to members of the media on the day the Supreme Court hears a petition seeking to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove him, in Jerusalem, April 15, 2026. (Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)
Italy on Tuesday condemned as "unacceptable" an insult by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, following a decision by prosecutors in Rome to investigate him over the treatment of activists in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Ben Gvir is being investigated for an alleged "war crime" and "torture" after activists accused Israeli authorities of mistreatment during their detention last month, according to Italian media reports.
"The land of the boot has become the land of the flip-flop," Ben Gvir wrote Monday on X — a derogatory reference to the geographical shape of Italy.
Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani told a Senate hearing Tuesday they were "unacceptable words ... unworthy of a minister," and which demonstrate "the man's political and moral standing."
"I have no words to comment on what he said about Italy yesterday, after learning that he was under investigation by the public prosecutor's office," Tajani said.
Israel detained more than 430 activists from countries around the world after intercepting them in international waters on May 18 as they made the latest in a string of attempts to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Ben Gvir sparked widespread condemnation after he posted a video mocking the flotilla activists while their hands were bound.
Tajani said Rome "will continue to push" for the European Union to sanction Ben Gvir, adding that "many countries" were in favor of doing so.
