UK, Allies Sanction “Israeli” Ministers for Inciting Violence Against Palestinians
By Staff, Agencies
The UK, alongside Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, has imposed coordinated sanctions on two top "Israeli" officials—Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich—over their role in encouraging violence and human rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on both far-right ministers. “Israeli” “National Security” Minister Ben-Gvir, himself a settler, and Finance Minister Smotrich have been accused of fueling settler attacks and legitimizing systemic violence against Palestinian civilians.
“These actions are not acceptable,” said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, citing the ministers’ “repeated incitement of extremist violence” and their role in serious abuses. The UK reiterated its support for a two-state solution and condemned the ongoing displacement and brutality inflicted upon Palestinians.
The sanctions come amid rising international pressure on the “Israeli” entity to lift its devastating blockade on Gaza, where a man-made famine is looming due to months of siege and obstruction of aid.
Smotrich responded by invoking colonial-era grievances, defending settlement expansion as a divine mission. He made the comments while inaugurating yet another illegal outpost in the Hebron Hills—part of his broader plan to establish 22 new settlements in defiance of international law.
The “Israeli” government slammed the sanctions as “outrageous,” with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announcing an emergency cabinet meeting to consider retaliation.
Effective immediately, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are banned from entering the UK, barred from doing business with British companies, and subject to asset freezes. The UK has also suspended ongoing trade agreement talks with the “Israeli” entity, signaling a broader diplomatic rift.
The sanctions are aimed at holding top officials accountable for the brutal settler violence and military attacks on Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank, where international observers have documented a sharp rise in killings and forced displacement.
On May 19, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron in condemning both the humanitarian blockade on Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements.
Since October 7, 2023, violence against Palestinians has intensified under the guise of "security" operations. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA], at least 616 Palestinians—including 115 children—have been martyred in the West Bank alone since the start of 2024. Nearly 2,000 violent incidents have been documented, displacing more than 41,000 Palestinians.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are known for extremist, openly racist ideologies and have long called for expanding “Israeli” control over all Palestinian territories. Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party, recently unveiled plans to formalize 22 illegal settlements. He has also advocated for segregated hospitals and collective punishment of Palestinian communities.
Ben-Gvir, the “Israeli” “national security” minister and former follower of terrorist rabbi Meir Kahane, has been convicted of incitement to racism and ties to a banned extremist group. While trying to rebrand, he continues to push anti-Palestinian policies and defend settler violence as legitimate resistance.
These two figures, elevated by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, represent a hardline vision that seeks to erase the Palestinian presence and legal rights in their own homeland. Their inclusion in the "Israeli" cabinet has only escalated apartheid conditions and normalized systemic abuses.
The international sanctions mark a significant, if overdue, attempt to rein in the growing extremism at the heart of the “Israeli” political establishment and to stand in solidarity with Palestinians facing daily oppression and displacement.
