The United Kingdom government is poised to impose sanctions on two prominent far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, due to their controversial roles and statements during the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
According to sources close to the British newspaper, the impending UK sanctions on Israeli ministers will include an asset freeze and a travel ban for both National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. With this move, Britain aligns itself with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other nations that have undertaken similar restrictive measures.
Just last month, Britain had already suspended trade agreement talks with Israel, criticizing the country’s policies in the West Bank and Gaza as “scandalous.” The Israeli ambassador had also been summoned for consultations following these concerns.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has vehemently condemned the stance of Israeli officials and the assault on Gaza, describing it as “a dark phase in this conflict.” He sharply criticized Minister Smotrich’s comments advocating for the “cleansing of Gaza and the expulsion of the Palestinian population.”
“Minister Smotrich has also spoken about how Israeli forces must ‘cleanse’ Gaza, ‘destroy everything left,’ and that Palestinians should ‘be moved to third countries’,” Lammy declared in the House of Commons. “We must call this what it is. It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is disgusting. It is monstrous. And I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Lammy further accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “planning to expel Gaza residents from their homes to a corner of the Strip in the south and allow them a small fraction of the aid they need.”
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reacted strongly to London’s decision, labeling it “scandalous.” He warned that he would discuss the matter with Prime Minister Netanyahu next week to “decide on the response to this unacceptable decision.”
