JAKARTA - The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs and a number of Arab or Islamic countries called the Group-8 or the New York Group, condemned the actions of the right-wing Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir against the Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Indonesian, Egyptian, Jordanian, United Arab Emirates, Pakistani, Turkish, Saudi Arabian and Qatari Foreign Ministers said, "the deliberate public humiliation of the prisoners by Ben-Gvir is a shameful attack on human dignity and a clear violation of Israel's obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law," quoted from WAFA (25/5).
The ministers also strongly condemned the illegal and extremist incitement and violence carried out by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories.
They warned that Ben-Gvir's provocative actions would incite hatred and extremism and hinder efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution.
The ministers further called for Ben-Gvir to be held accountable for his actions and urged the international community to take concrete steps to end the provocations, incitement, and repeated violations he has committed, prevent him from continuing his threats, and ensure that such actions are not tolerated or repeated.
The statement stressed the need to protect human rights, uphold the dignity of all prisoners, ensure humane treatment, and guarantee full respect for international law in the occupied Palestinian territory.
As previously reported, the actions of the Israeli right-wing minister against humanitarian activists who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla have drawn criticism from within Israel to close allies of the United States.
This followed the interception and arrest by the Israeli Navy commandos of the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian convoy in international waters near Cyprus on May 18, which was followed by the arrest of around 430 humanitarian volunteers, including nine Indonesian citizens (WNI).
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir uploaded a video showing him mocking the detained activists in a kneeling position with his head touching the ground, while his hands were handcuffed behind his back, on his X social media account, with the caption "welcome to Israel."
A day later, the volunteers were released on Thursday and flown to Turkey before returning to their respective countries.
It is known that the New York Group is eight Arab and Muslim-majority countries that met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, USA in September 2025. This includes Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The group then held a ministerial-level meeting on Palestine in Istanbul, Turkey, which discussed the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, including concrete steps to ensure the effectiveness of the ceasefire and support for the reconstruction process in the Palestinian enclave by November 2025.
These countries were also participants in the Gaza Peace Summit or the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit on October 13.
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