UK, others sanction Israel's finance, national security ministers over West Bank violence

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway said Tuesday that they have sanctioned Israel's finance and national security ministers for allegedly "inciting extremist violence" against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The allies of Israel sanctioned National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a rebuke over the country's settlement policies in the Palestinian-majority West Bank and settler violence, according to the Associated Press. 

The two ministers have promoted Israeli settlement and continuing the war in Gaza, facilitating what they say is the voluntary emigration of its Palestinian population and the rebuilding of Jewish settlements there.

Both ministers could now face asset freezes and travel bans from the five countries.

Those nations' foreign ministers said in a joint statement that 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.”

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the two ministers “have been inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months” and “encouraging egregious abuses of human rights.”

Smotrich posted on X that he found out about the sanctions while inaugurating a new West Bank settlement.

“We are determined to continue building,” he said.

“We overcame Pharaoh, we’ll overcome Starmer’s Wall,” Ben-Gvir posted on X, referring to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the sanctions are “outrageous” and that he had discussed them with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he said he will figure out a response next week.

There are more than 100 Israeli settlements in the West Bank that have more than 500,000 settlers.