UK and allies to sanction Israeli ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich
A number of countries including the UK are set to sanction far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over their conduct during the war on Gaza.
In a significant break from Washington, London will join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other nations in imposing asset freezes and travel bans on Israel’s National Security Minister Ben Gvir – a West Bank settler – and Finance Minister Smotrich.
The two have fiercely opposed the entry of international aid into Gaza and advocated for the forced expulsion of Palestinians from the territory, with Smotrich pledging last month that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed” and that Palestinians will “leave in great numbers to third countries”.
Meanwhile Ben Gvir has called for Israel to “encourage the voluntary emigration of the residents of Gaza”.
The announcement, reported in the Times, comes after UK Foreign Secretery David Lammy branded Smotrich’s comments regarding the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza as “monstrous”.
“We must call this what it is. It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Smotrich has long advocated for extending Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and across the Middle East as part of his vision of a “Greater Israel”.
He also declared that Israel would “apply sovereignty” in the occupied West Bank before the next Israeli general elections in October 2026.
“Within a few months, we will be able to declare that we have won. Gaza will be totally destroyed,” Smotrich said.
“In another six months, Hamas won’t exist as a functioning entity.”
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Israel had been informed by the UK of its decision to impose sanctions on the two government ministers, describing the move as “outrageous”.
“We were informed about the UK decision to include two of our ministers on the British sanctions list,” Saar told a press conference.
“It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kinds of measures.”
