The United Kingdom and some of its allies will formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, over “their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian communities” in Gaza, where Israel’s genocidal war has intensified, and in the occupied West Bank, its Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has said.
The UK will join Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on Israel’s National Security Minister Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich, both key proponents of the annihilation and expulsion of Palestinians, expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and annexation of Palestinian lands.
“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, along with the foreign ministers from the other nations, said in a joint statement. “This is why we have taken action now to hold those …