Published: 11 June 2025
Last updated: 12 June 2025
The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions targeting Israeli cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The statement blamed the two Religious Zionist members of Israel's parliament for inciting increasing settler violence in the West Bank.
It emphasised that the countries involved continue "unwavering support for Israel's security" and continued condemnation of "the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas".
The ministers also expressed continuing concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and concluded "We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two-state solution."
What do the sanctions mean?
The signatories have imposed Magnitsky-style sanctions, which consist of financial sanctions and travel bans. It is now a criminal offence to send money to Ben-Gvir or Smotrich or to entities they control. They will not be granted visas to any of the sanctioning countries.
What prompted the sanctions?
The sanctions were imposed on the basis of statements made by the two politicians supporting the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and the further settlement of the West Bank, between March 2023 and May 2025.
One of the most recent catalysts was the Jerusalem Day march attended by Ben-Gvir last month, where the crowd chanted 'Death to the Arabs' and 'May your village burn'.
Comments3
Nino21 June at 06:47 am
Are people really allowed to be honest in their comments? If so, why are there only 2 comments? 🙂
Ramon Capel13 June at 07:48 am
Sanctions are inevitable because the statements of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich would be punishable as a crime of incitement to genocide and violence in almost every country in Europe. All their statements made against Jews rather than Palestinians would clearly be anti-Semitism. That is the key point.
And Western public opinion is more radical than the statements of their politicians, and looking at the polls in Israel on how they support acting against the Palestinians, they will only become more and more anti-Israel. It is curious and sad how human beings adapt their morals to their needs. If you have different moral principles for your people than for others and you value yourself and your people more than others, they will surely do the same in reaction. As Groucho said, These are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.
Steve Holstein12 June at 01:00 pm
The sanctions come at a time when Israel is engaged in a war with Hamas.
They also come at a time when the majority of Israelis believe the war should end. At a time when Israelis from both left and right have no confidence in their government and its ability to manage the war. The sanctions come at a time when Israel’s ex-military leaders, ex-security leaders and ex-prime ministers (right and left) accuse the government of complete abandonment of the hostages and describe the war as Netanyahu’s own political campaign to avoid elections and serious corruption charges. They come at a time when Israelis are out in the streets in thousands, in tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands calling for an end to the war and an end to this government. The sanctions come at a time when the PM, Netanyahu, sacked his head of Shin Bet for refusing to pledge his loyalty to the ruling party and spy on the opposition. They come at a time when the two sanctioned ministers, seemingly devoid of human empathy, openly brag about using their political leverage to scuttle hostage deals. Yes Mr. Ambassador, the timing is very bad.