Daniel Wolfram
The far-right minister from Israel later deleted the videos after mounting backlash from everywhere.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, has quietly deleted two shocking videos from his social media platforms.
The two videos were made by AI.
One of the videos depicts an AI version of himself sending imprisoned Palestinians into concentration camps.
Itamar Ben-Gvir used the video to show himself as a superhero after he inspected inmates along a conveyor belt who then went into what looks like a prison or concentration camp. The clip ended with a slogan declaring, “we promised to stop the summer camps, and we did.”
Here is the video. WARNING: The video may contain imagery that some readers may find distressing.
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AI video sparks international outrage
After the videos were posted to his social media platforms, a widespread backlash started to quickly mount from all sides.
Some American politicians were outraged. Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego stated that “this piece of shit should never be allowed in the US”.
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Likewise, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Giese condemned the videos. “Of course, this is completely unacceptable. It’s appalling,” he stated according to Al Jazeera.
As the election is on the horizon, Ben-Gvir grows more extreme
This is far from the first time that Ben-Gvir has posted videos of himself mocking and degrading Palestinian prisoners. In May, a video surfaced showing him taunting a detained flotilla activist bound on the floor after trying to bring aid into Gaza.
The tactic is seen by some as trying to sway votes in the upcoming election in Israel as the right-wing field is becoming even more crowded and extreme.
Meanwhile, the Public Committee Against Torture asked election officials to step in and fine him ahead of the October 27 election. Senior members of the Israeli government, including Benjamin Netanyahu, have denounced the videos from Ben-Gvir. There have not yet been any consequences of the many videos posted.
As national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir is in charge of the police force and prisons in Israel. One of his self-identified biggest victories was when his proposal for an expanded death penalty for Palestinians became law.
