Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway issued a joint statement announcing sanctions against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. According to these countries, this follows "repeated incitement to violence against Palestinians." The countries also stated that the two ministers "encouraged violence and serious violations of Palestinian human rights" and used "extreme rhetoric calling for the uprooting of Palestinians from their homes and the expansion of settlements, which endangers the two-state solution and harms Israel's security and international standing."