Israeli Allies Sanction Two Far-Right Israeli Cabinet Ministers for ‘Inciting Extremist Violence’

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway on Tuesday sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in what was considered a sharp rebuke of Israel’s settlement policies and settler violence there, the Associated Press reported. 

The five countries sanctioned National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, key members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government. Both support the war in Gaza, advocate what they say is the voluntary emigration of Palestinians from the territory, and support the reconstruction of Jewish settlements in the enclave. 

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous,” the foreign ministers of the five countries said in a joint statement. 

The ministers now face asset freezes and travel bans. They will be denied entry to the UK and any of their assets in the UK will be frozen, according to the BBC. 

The foreign ministries of Canada and New Zealand have specified that the sanctions are aimed at the two ministers and not at the state of Israel or Israelis in general. 

Israeli officials criticized the move, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar describing the sanctions as “outrageous,” “scandalous,” and “unacceptable,” the Washington Post reported. “This is a planned and coordinated pressure campaign…We will hold a cabinet meeting to decide on our response.” 

In a post on X, Smotrich said he had been at the inauguration of a new Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron when he heard the news. “I heard that Britain had decided to impose sanctions on me because I am thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Smotrich wrote. “There couldn’t be a better moment for this. … With God’s help, we are determined to continue building.” 

Ben-Gvir, also writing on social media, said “we overcame Pharaoh, we’ll overcome Starmer’s Wall,” referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

There are now more than 100 settlements spread across the West Bank, housing over half a million Israelis, as well as three million Palestinians in the territory. 

The Biden administration had sanctioned Israeli settlers who carried out violence in the West Bank but the sanctions were lifted by US President Donald Trump. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the new sanctions. 

Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, and the Palestinians see them as the biggest hurdle to a possible two-state solution. 

Israeli human rights lawyer Eitay Mack called these new sanctions “historic,” adding that the move indicates that Netanyahu could be next to face sanctions. 

Netanyahu, meanwhile, survived a vote to dissolve the government early Thursday, which would have triggered early elections, France 24 wrote. 

The motion, brought by the opposition, initially gained backing from members of Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners who sought to break with him over the failure to pass legislation exempting their community from military service – a long-standing and divisive issue in Israel. 

However, lawmakers ultimately rejected the proposal after the ruling coalition reached a last-minute agreement on the conscription bill. 

Observers noted that the vote marked Netanyahu’s most serious political challenge since the war began. Had it passed, polls indicated the governing coalition would have lost at the ballot box, as many Israelis remain deeply shaken by the security failures that enabled Hamas’ attack and kidnappings on Oct. 7, 2023.