Australia, Allies Sanction Israeli Cabinet Members

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates.

Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and Norway have just made a bold move — they've slapped sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers, accusing them of inciting extremist violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

This is a major shift coming from five countries that are usually considered strong allies of Israel. It’s a clear message of disapproval over what’s happening in the West Bank, especially with settler violence ramping up since the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023.

The two Israeli ministers being sanctioned are Itamar Ben-Gvir (national security minister) and Bezalel Smotrich (finance minister). Both are staunch supporters of expanding Israeli settlements and are pushing controversial ideas like continuing the war in Gaza and encouraging “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from the territory.

Now, they could be facing asset freezes and travel bans, depending on how each country implements the sanctions.

In a joint statement, the five countries’ foreign ministers didn’t mince words:

“Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called their actions “egregious”, saying they’ve been encouraging violence for months on end. Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand echoed that sentiment, making it clear that the sanctions are aimed at individuals, not the state of Israel itself.

Meanwhile, Israeli leaders are firing back.

• Smotrich brushed it off, posting on social media that Israel will just keep building.

• Ben-Gvir went dramatic, referencing the Bible and British politics: “We overcame Pharaoh, we’ll overcome Starmer’s Wall.”

• Israel’s foreign minister called the move “outrageous” and said he’d be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to plan a response.

And speaking of Netanyahu — he’s already facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza. He’s denied any wrongdoing and accused the ICC of being biased.

This crackdown by Australia and its allies adds to the growing international frustration over Israel’s handling of the conflict — from the high civilian death toll in Gaza, to the severe humanitarian crisis that’s unfolded during the blockade.

Israeli human rights lawyer Eitay Mack, who’s long advocated for sanctions on these ministers, called this moment historic.

“The wall of immunity Israeli politicians had is broken,” he said.“It sends a message — even to Netanyahu — that he could be next.”

All this comes against the backdrop of decades-long tension over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. More than 500,000 settlers now live in over 100 Israeli communities there, often surrounded by 3 million Palestinians living under military rule.

The international community still largely sees these settlements as illegal and a massive barrier to peace. And with this latest wave of sanctions, it’s clear some countries are no longer willing to stay silent.

Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.