US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has dismissed the Gaza-bound flotilla as a “stupid stunt” –. said Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “betrayed dignity of his nation” by publishing the video he posted on social media showing him mocking the detained activists.
Huckabee, a staunch Christian-Zionist, wrote on X:
double quotation mark Universal outrage & condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official from @IsraeliPM @IsraelMFA @gidonsaar @IsraelPresident @yechielleiter @IsraelinUSA for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed dignity of his nation.
Huckabee’s intervention is particularly striking given his longtime ardent and unwavering support of Israel, including during its genocide in Gaza. He has previously drawn widespread condemnation after suggesting that Israel would be justified in taking over much of the Middle East on biblical grounds – in remarks that sparked alarm even from inside the White House -. is also a fierce advocate for full Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Israel ’s far-right national security minister. Itamar Ben-Gvir, sparked a diplomatic crisis on Wednesday after publishing footage of Israeli security forces abusing international activists who were detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid.
There was a rapid. furious response from countries whose citizens were on board the boats, including the UK, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Ireland, in many cases delivered in person from the top of government. Several nations have summoned their Israeli diplomats over the appalling incident.
Benjamin Netanyahu moved to quell the furore, criticising Ben-Gvir’s actions as “not in line with Israel’s values. norms” and saying he had instructed the activists to be deported from Israel as soon as possible. And even the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, one of the country’s staunchest allies, described Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as “despicable”. said the minister “betrayed the dignity of his nation”.
Here’s my colleague Emma Graham-Harrison ’s report:
Meanwhile on Iran, as a peace deal remains elusive. Donald Trump weighs resuming military action, he said the only question now is whether the United States goes back to finish the job or if Tehran will sign a document. The US president told cadets in his US Coast Guard Academy commencement address: “We will not let Iran have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. We will not let that happen. We’ll see what happens. We hit them very hard. We may have to hit them even harder – but maybe not.”
Trump had earlier told reporters he was in no rush to end the war. that achieving the mission’s objectives was more important than setting a timeline for its conclusion.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. the speaker of Iran’s parliament, meanwhile, accused the US of “seeking a new round of war” as he vowed Tehran “will not bow down to force”. In a statement on his Telegram channel, Ghalibaf said: “The enemy has imposed a difficult war on our beloved Iran,. today, more than ever, it is clear that we are in a war of wills, and whoever wins this war of wills will write Iran’s history and determine Iran’s future.”
US Marines boarded Iranian-flagged commercial oil tanker M/T Celestial Sea in the Gulf of Oman after suspecting it had violated a US blockade. US Central Command said in a statement. US forces released the ship, which was headed toward an Iranian port, after searching it. directing its crew to alter course, the statement said. There has been no immediate comment from Iran.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has dismissed the Gaza-bound flotilla as a “stupid stunt” –. said Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “betrayed dignity of his nation” by publishing the video he posted on social media showing him mocking the detained activists.
Huckabee, a staunch Christian-Zionist, wrote on X:
double quotation mark Universal outrage & condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official from @IsraeliPM @IsraelMFA @gidonsaar @IsraelPresident @yechielleiter @IsraelinUSA for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed dignity of his nation.
Huckabee’s intervention is particularly striking given his longtime ardent and unwavering support of Israel, including during its genocide in Gaza. He has previously drawn widespread condemnation after suggesting that Israel would be justified in taking over much of the Middle East on biblical grounds – in remarks that sparked alarm even from inside the White House -. is also a fierce advocate for full Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Israel ’s treatment of the detained Gaza flotilla activists is “abominable”, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.
Ottawa earlier said it would summon the Israeli ambassador to protest after national Ssecurity minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video in which he taunted the activists. who were forced to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs.
“The abominable treatment of civilians aboard the flotilla. including that which is documented in footage shared by Itamar Ben-Gvir, is unacceptable,” Carney said in a social media post, using unusually harsh language to condemn a close ally.
“Canada has already imposed strict sanctions on Mr. Ben-Gvir, including asset freezes and a travel ban, in response to his repeated incitement of violence.”
Spain is the latest nation to summon Israeli diplomats over Israel’s treatment of the detained Gaza flotilla activists.
In a post on X, Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares said the move is “in response to the monstrous, undignified,. humiliating treatment by an Israeli minister toward the Spaniards and the rest of the flotilla members”.
He also demanded the immediate release of the activists and an apology from the Israeli government.
Earlier on Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu criticised his national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over a widely-condemned video he posted on social media showing him mocking detained activists from the Gaza flotilla, saying this was “not in line with Israel’s values. norms”.
The Israeli prime minister said he instructed the activists to be deported from Israel as soon as possible.
Israeli police on Wednesday forced activists who were aboard the Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs while a minister looked on, drawing criticism from foreign leaders. even from inside Israel’s own government.
They were detained after their flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Tuesday. later taken to an Israeli port.
The flotilla had set sail from southern Turkey. was making a renewed attempt to deliver aid to war-devastated Gaza after earlier missions were also intercepted by Israel.
US Marines boarded Iranian -flagged commercial oil tanker M/T Celestial Sea in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday after suspecting it had violated a US blockade. US Central Command said in a statement.
US forces released the ship, which was headed toward an Iranian port, after searching it. directing its crew to alter course, the statement said.
There has been no immediate comment from Iran.
Trump also again touted the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as “successful”.
They call it the wall of steel, nobody goes through it … We have ships that tried to go through it …. they say DO NOT PROCEED FURTHER OR WE WILL SHOOT.
After painting an image of “a young handsome captain” telling ships not to proceed via “the greatest loudspeaker system”, Trump then impersonated an Iranian man after his ship was hit by US forces, whilst mispronouncing “Iran”,. said the ship turned around. “Nobody violates it, nobody,” Trump went on.
It’s unclear what incident Trump was referring to in these surreal remarks.
While the US Central Command has successfully intercepted. redirected dozens of ships during the blockade, several Iranian-linked and dark fleet vessels have slipped through.
In further remarks on Iran, Trump told cadets he thought Tehran “so badly” wanted to make a deal, but added:
We will not let Iran have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. We will not let that happen.
We’ll see what happens. We hit them very hard. We may have to hit them even harder – but maybe not.
Donald Trump has been briefly speaking about Iran during a commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy. His comments come as a durable peace deal seems increasingly elusive. amid warnings that the US is weighing up restarting military attacks. This is from my colleague Lucy Campbell:
Alongside his usual boastful claims that Iran’s navy. air force are “gone”, Donald Trump said the only question now is whether the United States goes back to finish the job or if Iran will sign a document.
double quotation mark Everything’s gone. Their navy’s gone. Their air force is gone. Just about everything. The only question is, do we go and finish it up? Are they going to be signing a document? Let’s see what happens.
The Turkish foreign ministry has strongly condemned the treatment of activists who were on board the Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces earlier.
The ministry said Turkey is helping to try to secure the immediate. safe release of the detained Turkish nationals and other activists who were on the flotilla.
It said the Global Sumud Flotilla was unlawfully intercepted by Israel while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza. More than 50 boats taking part in the flotilla set sail from Turkey last week.
In response to a question on Wednesday morning about how long Benjamin Netanyahu. the prime minister of Israel, will hold on before re-starting strikes on Iran, Trump said: “He’s fine. He’ll do whatever I want him to do.”
Trump also cited a poll that gave him 99% approval in Israel. Guardian US has not yet verified this poll.
“I could run for prime minister, so maybe after I do this, I’ll go to Israel. run for prime minister,” he said. You can keep up with all the latest developments from the US here:
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy have said they allowed 26 vessels to transit the strait of Hormuz over the last day.
“Over the past 24 hours, 26 vessels – including oil tankers, container ships. other commercial vessels – transited the strait of Hormuz,” the Guards’ navy said in a social media post. It added that the ships passed after “coordination and security provided by the IRGC navy”.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through the strait. But Iran closed the shipping route to so-called “hostile” countries in response to being attacked by Israel. the US on 28 February, causing global energy prices to surge.
Iran effectively closed the strait by attacking – or just threatening to attack – some ships. told others not affiliated with the US or Israel that they could pass through it if they paid a toll.
Donald Trump imposed a counter-blockade of ships using Iranian ports on 13 April to try to pressure Tehran into accepting concessions to bring an end to the war –. this has ultimately failed as the strait is Iran’s biggest leverage point.
Fresh questions have been raised over the US. Israeli effort to depose the Iranian regime after it was claimed that Israel wanted to put the populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.
Ahmadinejad’s turbulent presidency from 2005 to 2013 was marked by incendiary attacks on Israel but he recast himself as a critic of the regime. champion of the poor after falling out with the supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
It is claimed that Israel bombed a security building close to his Tehran home to help him escape house arrest. he became uneasy about the operation.
The plans reported by the New York Times. were widely seen as implausible or disinformation put out by Ahmadinejad’s supporters or the Israeli intelligence services.
However, the episode shows that the US. Israel overestimated opposition to the regime and their own ability to bring it down it with airstrikes. You can read the full story here:
The Irish foreign minister. Helen McEntee, has joined in the condemnation of the footage showing detained Gaza-bound activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla with their hands tied behind their back kneeling as their heads touch the floor (see post at 14.11 for more details).
McEntee demanded the immediate release of the “illegally detained” activists, among whom is the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. McEntee said she was “appalled. shocked” by the video, which was shared on X by far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
It was published after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla’s vessels at sea. began detaining hundreds of foreign activists at the southern port of Ashdod. The Global Sumud Flotilla was attempting to deliver much needed aid to Gaza, which is under an Israeli maritime blockade.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. the speaker of Iran’s parliament, has accused the US of “seeking a new round of war” as he vowed his country “will not bow down to force”.
In a statement on his Telegram channel, Ghalibaf said: “The enemy has imposed a difficult war on our beloved Iran,. today, more than ever, it is clear that we are in a war of wills, and whoever wins this war of wills will write Iran’s history and determine Iran’s future.”
His remarks came as US president Donald Trump threatened Iran with renewed military action. saying he has given Tehran “two to three days” to reach a deal to end the conflict.
Ghalibaf said the US was still hoping Iran would surrender and respond favourably to Washington’s demands.
“We must strengthen our readiness to respond powerfully. effectively to possible attacks,” he said, adding the US will “regret attacking Iran again”.
According to the Reuters news agency. Donald Trump has told reporters he was in no rush to bring his war on Iran to an end. The US president said achieving the mission’s objectives was more important than setting a timeline for its conclusion.
The White House said in early April Trump’s objectives in Iran was to “obliterate Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal. production capability, annihilate its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies, and ensure the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism never acquires a nuclear weapon.”
While there is little doubt that waves of US. Israeli airstrikes heavily degraded Iran’s military capabilities, many of Trump’s core objectives remain unfulfilled and he is now essentially trying to get back to the status quo of the strait of Hormuz being freely open to international vessels.
A stockpile of highly enriched uranium is also still believed to remain buried following US. Israeli airstrikes last June, Iran still supports proxy militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis and Iran reportedly retains much of its pre-war missile stockpile despite US-Israeli attacks.
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