On Tuesday, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and Australia imposed sanctions on Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.
The 5 countries released a joint statement alleging that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich incited “extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”
The statement reads,
“Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable. We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now – to hold those responsible to account. The Israeli Government must uphold its obligations under international law, and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent, and expansionist rhetoric.”
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, both of whom are settlers in the West Bank, have called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment of the Jewish settlements there. Both ministers have also campaigned against allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The joint statement also emphasized that all 5 countries intend to continue working with Israel to “ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, including food”.
The United States has condemned the move to impose sanctions. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all the hostages home, and end the war”.
Just last week, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza.
Since 7 October, Israel has wounded an estimated 126,227 Palestinians and has killed at least 54,880 Palestinians, with about 17,400 of those killed being children.