"Not Happy About It" Western Countries Slap Sanctions on Israeli Ministers
Western nations impose economic sanctions on specific Israeli government officials
Here's the deal: some Western nations are letting Israel know they're ticked off. The governments of Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway have decided to take actions against two Israeli ministers over their radical remarks about Palestinians in the West Bank. These ministers - Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir - have been accused of endorsing extreme violence and severe violations of Palestinian human rights.
The British government has clamped down with a ban on entry and asset freezing for these Israelis. Norway, too, has forbidden entry. The Israeli administration, understandably, is upset by the measure.
Why's everyone so angry, you ask? The foreign ministers of the five countries believe that the ministers' rhetoric about forcing Palestinians out and expanding Israeli settlements is alarming and dangerous. These measures primarily stem from the situation in the West Bank, but they're not unrelated to the troubling scenarios unfolding in the Gaza Strip.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir Promote Settler Violence
Israel recently announced its intention to establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, territory they seized in 1967. This move marks the home of more than 700,000 settlers among roughly three million Palestinians. These Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir actively support the growth of Jewish settlements and back the violence employed by militant settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Such actions are driven by extremist rhetoric, and they've resulted in the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of entire communities.
Recently, Smotrich had threatened the "total destruction" of the Gaza Strip, and Ben-Gvir opposed the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip after Israel's blockade. These countries maintain that a two-state solution is the only method to ensure a secure and long-lasting future for the region.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar finds it outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to such measures. A special government session will be held next week to strategize a response to the questionable decision. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are part of Netanyahu's right-wing government but do not belong to his party – they represent extreme factions within the ruling coalition.
Sources: ntv.de, uzh/dpa
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- West Bank
- Gaza Strip
- International Law
- Settler Violence
- Two-State Solution
- Sanctions
- Israel
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- The Commission, given the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the increased risk of exposure to ionizing radiation due to settler violence in the West Bank, has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to this exposure.
- Amidst the political turbulence surrounding Israel's plans for new settlements in the West Bank, the ongoing sanctions imposed by Western countries on Israeli ministers cannot be seen as separate from general news discussions about the future of a two-state solution and the adherence to international law.
