LONDON
Britain and other international allies formally sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, following their conduct over the war in Gaza, The Times has reported.
London will join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other nations in freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on Israel’s national security minister Ben-Gvir, an occupied West Bank settler, and finance minister Smotrich, the London-based newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Britain’s foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. However, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the move is “outrageous”. Saar told reporters that the government would hold a special meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the “unacceptable decision”.
Britain, like other European countries, has been ramping up the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the blockade on aid into Gaza, where international experts have warned that famine is imminent.
London last month suspended free trade talks with Israel for pursuing “egregious policies” in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, summoned its ambassador, and announced further sanctions against occupied West Bank settlers.
Foreign Minister David Lammy, who called Israel’s recent offensive “a dark new phase in this conflict,” has previously condemned comments by Smotrich on the possible cleansing and destruction of Gaza and displacement of its residents to third countries.
The UK has sanctioned two Israeli far-right ministers over comments they made on Gaza.
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will both face a travel ban and have their assets frozen as part of the measures announced by the UK foreign secretary.
David Lammy said the ministers had “incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”.
In response, Israel said: “It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures.”
