UK, Canada, Australia sanction Israeli ministers Ben Gvir & Smotrich; US Sec Rubio: Move doesn't advance end to war or bring hostages home

The United Kingdom on Tuesday announced personal sanctions against right-wing Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party, and Itamar Ben Gvir of the Jewish Power party, citing their statements on Gaza and their “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities.”

The UK was joined by four other Western countries – Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Norway – in placing sanctions on the two Israeli ministers known for their provocative statements about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The UK Foreign Office said the government took steps to sanction Finance Minister Smotrich and National Security Minister Ben Gvir because, “We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution and will continue to work with our partners towards its implementation.”

The office said it believes the two-state solution “is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long-term stability in the region,” and claimed that the two-state solution “is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion.”

Furthermore, the UK Foreign Office claimed 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,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy declared in a joint statement with the foreign ministers of the other nations.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded sharply to the announcement, saying, “The British Mandate for the land of Israel ended in May 1948. It will never return.”

Sa’ar also said the move was part of a “political pressure” campaign which has “one goal: to bring about an end to the war without achieving its goals, while Hamas still controls Gaza and continues to endanger Israel's security.”

The British Mandate for the land of Israel ended in May 1948. It will never return.

The political pressure on Israel, which manifests itself in various ways, has one goal: to bring about an end to the war without achieving its goals, while Hamas still controls Gaza and… pic.twitter.com/IG083EShIt

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 10, 2025

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also blasted the UK government's decision to impose sanctions on the two Israeli ministers, saying, “These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all the hostages home, and end the war.”

The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 10, 2025

Secretary Rubio affirmed that the United States “stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”

Both ministers posted responses to Secretary Rubio’s statement on 𝕏 to thank him. Ben Gvir wrote, “The American administration is a moral compass in the face of the confusion of some Western countries that choose to appease terrorist organizations like Hamas.”

In a follow-up post, Ben Gvir slammed the “campaign of appeasement” by Western nations, calling them “European colonial countries.”

While the European colonial countries fantasize that we Jews are still their subjects, the streets of their famous cities are being taken over by radical Islam. But their campaign of appeasement for the Hamas terrorists will not save them.
When they finally wake up, it will be…

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) June 10, 2025

Smotrich also thanked Rubio “for a clear and unwavering voice of justice, morality, and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, between truth and falsehood.”

“Together, we will defeat evil and bring much light and goodness to the entire free world,” he added.

In retaliation for the decision to impose sanctions, Smotrich directed the Ministry of Finance to waive the indemnity that had been given to Israeli banks to correspond with Palestinian banks – a move that will have devastating effects on the Palestinian economy.

The Palestinian economy is dependent on the Israeli banking system, as it does not have its own currency. In addition, banks in the Palestinian Territories are dependent on relations with Israeli banks to process electronic transactions in shekels.

The move could lead the Palestinian economy to become a cash-based economy, which would make it harder for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to restrict transactions made with terror groups in their territory.

The UK’s Foreign Office cited UN-provided data, stating, “As of April 2025, extremist settlers have carried out over 1,900 attacks against Palestinian civilians since January last year.”

Earlier this month, the pro-settlement Regavim group released a report claiming that the UN data used by the UK is flawed, and that the UN figures include injuries in security incidents involving attempted Palestinian terror attacks as part of the statistics for “settler violence.”

“The [UN] database counts Palestinians who were injured or killed during or in response to attacks and terrorist acts they themselves initiated against Israeli civilians in Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the country, as victims of 'settler violence,’ the report claimed.

The report also claims that “the UN database includes thousands of clearly non-violent incidents in its count of violent events. For example: Jewish visits to the Temple Mount, tourists visiting archaeological sites, infrastructure work carried out legally by the State of Israel itself, traffic accidents, and more.”

On Wednesday morning, Ben Gvir ascended the Temple Mount, announcing that he was conducting a "working tour of the Temple Mount."