The two politicians have been sanctioned (Image: Getty)
Britain will formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers after they made “monstrous” comments about Gaza, it has emerged. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, will have their assets frozen and travel bans imposed against them.
The UK’s move to impose sanctions on the two Israelis follows similar decisions by a number of countries – among them Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Benjamin Netanyahu has become increasingly reliant on the support of far-right parties to keep his fragile coalition together.
Keir Starmer has been more critical of Israel in recent weeks (Image: Getty)
However, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have continually adopted hardline and at times controversial positions on Gaza and the Palestinians in general.
Smotrich has approved the expansion of West Bank settlements and campaigned against allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying previously he would allow “not even a grain of wheat” to enter the warzone.
Last month, he said that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed” and that Palestinians will “leave in great numbers to third countries”.
For his part, Ben-Gvir has advocated the replacement of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem with a synagogue and the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.
“We must encourage emigration. Encourage the voluntary emigration of the residents of Gaza,” he said last year.
Britain’s Foreign Minister David Lammy launched a withering attack on Smotrich, after the latter suggested cleansing Gaza using Israeli troops.
“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,” he told Parliament last month.
A recent UN report claimed the 2.1 million Palestinians living in Gaza faced were on the brink of starvation, following an 80-day Israeli blockade of food, fuel and medicine.
The British Prime Minister also issued a joint statement along with his French and Canadian counterparts in May, warning Israel that it could be in breach of international law.
“The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law,” the statement read.
“We condemn the abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli Government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate.
“Permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law.”
