Central Elections Committee orders Ben Gvir to remove flotilla abuse video, fines him NIS 23,000

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunts detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Screen grab/Ben Gvir's X account)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunts detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Screen grab/Ben Gvir's X account)

Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg ruled that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir must delete a video of him tormenting activists detained from a Gaza-bound flotilla uploaded to social media last month.

Sohlberg, who serves as chair of the Central Elections Committee, also fined the far-right minister NIS 23,000 ($7,800) over the video.

Sohlberg determined that the video, which included uniformed security officers and was taken inside a state facility, constituted unlawful election propaganda with the use of public assets.

The video drew condemnation from leaders worldwide, and across the Israeli political spectrum, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Ben Gvir’s fellow cabinet member, slamming him publicly for having “knowingly caused harm to our state.”

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