British outrage: Starmer sanctions far-right Israeli ministers
The British government has sanctioned two senior far-right Israeli ministers over their extremist rhetoric against Palestinians, reported The National on June 10th.
Kier Starmer has imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The move was executed in tandem with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway.
An official statement from Downing Street outlined that the two ministers were “now sanctioned for their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians, effective immediately.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated in a joint statement with foreign ministers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway that “Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now – to hold those responsible to account.”
“We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas, which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution.”
The move signifies escalating tensions between Israel and a handful of its Western allies. Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the sanctions as “outrageous.” He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a special government meeting early next week “to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision.”
Ben-Gvir, who was convicted of incitement to racism in 2007, invoked biblical mythology on X in retaliation to the sanctions: “We survived Pharaoh, we will also survive Kier Starmer. I will continue to work for Israel and the people of Israel without fear or intimidation.”
Smotrich allegedly threatened to stop transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority, a clear escalation. Israeli parliamentarian and political rival to the pair Benny Gantz condemned the sanctions as a “profound moral failure and a bad message to the entire world” which would “fuel global terrorism.”
The move could in fact unify the fragile coalition which composes the Israeli government, including far-right and ultra-Orthodox figures. Since the government’s parliamentary majority is dependent on the coalition’s unity, far-right members like Smotrich have significant liberty to pursue their expansionist vision for the Palestinian territories.
Smotrich stated that he would not allow “even a grain of wheat” to enter Gaza following the blockade and called for the strip to be “entirely destroyed.” He has also proposed that Palestinians should “leave in great numbers to third countries,” a statement which endorses ethnic cleansing.
Ben-Gvir shares similar views to his colleague, calling for Palestinians to be expelled from Gaza and claiming that “there is no need to bring in aid, they have enough.” On May 30th, the UN identified Gaza as “the hungriest place on Earth.”
Members of the Trump administration also expressed contempt towards the decision. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the sanctions do not positively contribute to ceasefire negotiations, and that “we remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is”, according to a June 11th Politico report. Similarly, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce labelled the sanctions as “extremely unhelpful” in reaching a ceasefire.
“If our allies want to help, they should focus on supporting special envoy Steve Witkoff’s negotiations and back the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation when it comes to food and aid.”
Head of the Palestinian mission to the UK Husam Zomlot welcomed the British government’s sanctions as “the right step in the right direction” against the ministers’ violent rhetoric towards Palestinian civilian communities. He said that “these two ministers have been publicly calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, not only by words but by deeds. These two ministers have been literally physically arming illegal settlers [who are] going on a rampage, committing all the crimes that the world has been following.”
Despite his praise for the sanctions, Mr Zomlot made it clear that the UK government must impose measures of far greater severity on Israel to adequately counter-act its violent escalations in the West Bank and Gaza.
“This is not a substitute for the arms embargo, not a substitute for sanctions on the entire ecosystem of illegality, including settlements, and not a substitute for the recognition of the state of Palestine.”
Mr Zomlot added that “we expect the UK government to recognise the state of Palestine. This is good but does not get us to that point.” This comment was made amidst mounting parliamentary pressure on the government to formally recognise a Palestinian state at next week’s two-state solution UN conference in New York, according to a June 10th Independent report. Crucially, British diplomat Hamish Falconer did not rule out the move.
Chairwoman of the British foreign affairs committee Emily Thornberry has been calling for stronger measures against the two ministers: “I and others have been calling for sanctions on these extremist Israeli ministers for the better part of a year. The government is finally doing the right thing.” She also argued that the sanctions “must be a precursor to recognising a Palestinian state next week – not an alternative to it.”
Israel’s renewed military campaign in Gaza following its disposal of the ceasefire in place on March 18th has outraged many international observers. British MPs from all parties have collectively condemned the governments failure to formally recognise a Palestinian state or impose sanctions on the state of Israel.
The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza since October 7th has increased to 55,700. Extremist Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian civilians over 1,900 times between last January and this April alone, according to the British government.
The National, UN News, Politico, UN Watch, The Independent
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