The United Kingdom, joined by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, has sanctioned two Israeli cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over inflammatory remarks made on Gaza and the West Bank. The ministers face travel bans and asset freezes, immediately.
Ben-Gvir is a minister for National Security, while Smotrich is the country’s Finance Minister. Both have gained much negative attention for their rhetoric of demolishing Gaza and settling the occupied West Bank through aggressive settlement expansion. This rhetoric has been called inciting violence and defense of human rights abuses against Palestinians.
In a joint statement, the five allied countries reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution and criticized the Israeli ministers for fostering extremist settler violence. “We are acting now to hold individuals accountable for inciting violence and undermining peace,” said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his counterparts.
The statement emphasized the urgency of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, and a push toward humanitarian aid and lasting regional stability.
Israel’s government was notified of the decision on Tuesday. Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the move “outrageous,” criticizing sanctions on elected officials and revealing that a special cabinet meeting would be held to discuss a response.
The UK Foreign Office cited repeated incitement of violence as grounds for the sanctions. It has previously warned Israel against expanding illegal settlements and urged condemnation of extremist rhetoric. Though options to impose sanctions had existed for over a year, the decision was delayed to build international consensus.
Notably, the United States has not joined this coordinated action.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have previously called for harsh measures against Palestinians, with Smotrich stating that Gaza should be “entirely destroyed,” while Ben-Gvir has advocated for the expulsion of Gaza’s residents.
