Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says he discussed last week’s Gaza flotilla incident with Canadian counterpart Anita Anand after she summoned Israel’s ambassador to Canada.
The minister said Canada is providing Israel with evidence of the mistreatment and has asked for an independent investigation and accountability. Anand also said Canadian citizens were denied consular access while detained in breach of the Vienna Convention.
Activists with the Global Summud Flotilla, travelling aboard 50 boats, were intercepted by the Israeli navy last week in the Mediterranean Sea near Cyprus as they attempted to breach the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. A dozen Canadians were among those detained by Israeli authorities. More than 400 activists involved in the flotilla were held by Israel for between one and four days.
While similar flotillas and interceptions in the region are not uncommon, the incident drew heightened international attention after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a video of himself mocking the detained activists and saying they should be imprisoned for a “long, long time.”
Ben-Gvir’s actions were criticized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the way the activists were dealt with was not in accordance with his country’s “values and norms.” Sa’ar also said Ben-Gvir’s actions were “disgraceful.”
Some of the detainees, including Canadian Ehad Lotayef, have claimed mistreatment at the hands of Israeli authorities, who have denied the allegations.
In his readout of his call with Anand, Sa’ar said to consider what the activists did in Spain, Greece, and Austria after they were released by Israel to understand the true objective of the flotilla mission.
Sa’ar said he also raised with Anand the issue of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada, which he said now average 19 per day. “The Canadian government must take steps against antisemitic incitement and attacks,” he said.
Anand also mentioned having discussed the “deplorable rise of antisemitism” with Sa'ar and spoke of actions taken by her government to deal with the issue.
B’nai Brith said most of the incidents took place online. The group said the number of incidents increased 9.4 percent from 2024 to 2025 and 145.6 percent from 2022.
Hamas’s 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military retaliation in Gaza led to a humanitarian crisis in the territory and a surge in anti-Semitic incidents in Canada and abroad, including arson attacks and shootings targeting Jewish institutions and businesses.
