The UK has imposed sanctions on two senior Israeli government ministers following their incendiary statements about Gaza and support for violent settlement expansion in the West Bank.
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich – both key figures in Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline coalition – will now face travel bans and asset freezes, the UK government has confirmed.
🧨 Why were they sanctioned?
Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, recently said Gaza should be “entirely destroyed” and civilians should be displaced en masse. He has also spoken about blocking all humanitarian aid to the war zone and, in a previous statement, implied that the deaths of 2 million Palestinians from hunger might be “justified”.
Ben-Gvir, who serves as Israel’s national security minister, has called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and demanded that Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque be replaced with a synagogue.
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, previously described their rhetoric as “monstrous and repellant” in Parliament – and has now followed through with sanctions.
🇬🇧 UK acts – but the US holds back
The move places the UK ahead of other Western allies, with the US not expected to join the sanctions at this stage.
The decision was reportedly finalised in recent weeks after months of hesitation and concerns about diplomatic fallout. Ministers had previously sanctioned a group of violent West Bank settlers, but stopped short of going after Israeli cabinet members – until now.
🇮🇱 Israeli backlash
Israel’s foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa’ar hit back at the decision, calling it “outrageous” and confirming Prime Minister Netanyahu will convene a special meeting to decide how to respond.
“It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kinds of measures,” Sa’ar said.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir’s comments have been widely condemned by human rights groups and Western allies, including Germany, which branded their words unacceptable.
🔥 No Commons statement – for now
While the UK government is not planning to issue a formal statement in Parliament, ministers are expected to face questions in the days ahead. The sanctions also come amid a freeze on trade deal talks with Israel and growing criticism of the war’s humanitarian toll.
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