Ben-Gvir Faces Backlash Over Prison Visit Video

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is facing criticism following a video he posted from a visit to Damon Prison, where female Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives are held. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) has sent a letter to the Central Elections Committee chairman, Noam Sohlberg, arguing that the video constitutes forbidden election propaganda and is a severe violation of the detainees' dignity, potentially amounting to a war crime.

The video shows the minister standing before the female prisoners, whose hands are bound. During the visit, the prisoners described harsh detention conditions, including a lack of water and showers, denial of medical treatment, and violence. Ben-Gvir responded by stating that hostages held in Gaza lacked shampoo and that his goal was to reduce prison conditions to the "minimum of the minimum."

PCATI asserts that this is part of a pattern of Ben-Gvir using high-profile prison visits for election campaigning, which violates the Election Law. The committee previously ruled against such behavior in June 2023, when Ben-Gvir posted a video from Ashdod Port with detained pro-Palestinian activists. In that instance, Sohlberg ordered the video's removal and fined Ben-Gvir 23,000 shekels.

PCATI's current letter cites two legal violations: prohibited election propaganda under the Election Law and a breach of Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits degrading and humiliating treatment of detainees. The committee emphasizes that the visit occurred while legal proceedings regarding the conditions of these specific prisoners are ongoing, and the video's publication could prejudice these cases and violate the prisoners' privacy.

PCATI is demanding that the Central Elections Committee take immediate action, including removing the video from social media, imposing the maximum financial penalty on Ben-Gvir, issuing a clear directive prohibiting further publicized prison visits until the elections, considering criminal prosecution, and issuing a restraining order against further publications involving the involved prisoners.