The United Kingdom is preparing to impose sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers over incendiary remarks about the war in Gaza, according to a report Tuesday in The Times of London.
The newspaper said sanctions would target National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for what British Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently called their “monstrous” statements. The UK would join Canada, New Zealand and other countries that have already frozen the ministers’ assets and barred them from entry. Norway later announced it would also join in imposing sanctions on the ministers in the form of a travel ban.
Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are key figures in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. The Times cited past comments by Smotrich, including a vow not to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, “not even a single grain of wheat,” and a declaration that Gaza should be “completely destroyed” and its residents relocated to third countries.
Last month, Lammy criticized the ministers in a speech to Parliament, saying Israel had entered a “new and dark phase” of the conflict. He said Netanyahu’s government was seeking to displace Gazans and restrict access to humanitarian aid.
“Minister Smotrich even spoke of Israeli forces ‘cleansing’ Gaza, destroying what remains, and transferring Palestinians to other countries,” Lammy said. “We must call this what it is: extremism. It’s dangerous, it’s repugnant, it’s monstrous, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Ben-Gvir responded to the report in a statement posted on social media, invoking a famous Zionist slogan: “Shame on the White Paper. We got through Pharaoh, we’ll get through Starmer’s wall too,” he wrote, referring to UK PM Keir Starmer. “I will continue to act for the State of Israel and the people of Israel without fear or hesitation.”
As part of the expected sanctions, Smotrich and Ben Gvir will be barred from entering the country, and financial institutions will be prohibited from providing them with any services—similar to the sanctions imposed on Russian officials after the invasion of Ukraine. However, neither minister holds assets in the United Kingdom nor have they sought to travel there. Moreover, senior British and European officials have largely avoided engaging with them in any case, making the sanctions primarily symbolic—further damaging Israel’s image abroad.
Similar sanctions against Ben Gvir and Smotrich were considered by the Biden administration in the United States but were ultimately not imposed.
The Times article included several remarks by Smotrich, among them his statement at the Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth “People of the State” conference, where he said he would not allow humanitarian aid into Gaza if it risked falling into Hamas hands, “not even a single grain of wheat.” It also cited his comment last month that his vision of victory would be “a completely destroyed Gaza, its civilians concentrated south of the Morag Corridor and beginning to emigrate in large numbers to third countries.”
The report also referenced Ben Gvir’s calls to “encourage voluntary emigration” of Gaza residents, as well as his call to establish a synagogue on the Temple Mount.
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Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sharply criticized the expected move, saying, “It is outrageous that elected officials and cabinet members are subjected to such measures. I discussed this earlier with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we will convene a special cabinet meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable step.”
National Unity party leader Benny Gantz also criticized the United Kingdom, stating, “I strongly disagree with Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir, but the imposition of sanctions on Israeli government ministers by the British government is a profound moral failure and sends a dangerous message to the world. The State of Israel is fighting enemies who have made clear their intention to destroy it. Pressure and sanctions should be directed at Iran, Hamas and the Houthis. I call on the British government to halt this process, which only fuels global terrorism.”