U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a strong rebuke on Tuesday against the move by five allied nations—Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway—to sanction Israeli Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Rubio urged these governments to reconsider their decision immediately.
“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 US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” Rubio said in a public statement.
He continued by rejecting any attempt to draw parallels between Israeli leaders and Hamas terrorists. “We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is,” he said.
Rubio concluded his remarks with a direct call to action: “The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”
The statement followed coordinated announcements from the five countries, which declared sanctions on Ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich, alleging the two had incited violence toward Palestinian Arabs in areas of Judea and Samaria.
In explaining their move, the UK Foreign Office said the sanctions were part of a broader effort to address what they called “extremist settler violence” and actions that, in their view, threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.
The UK added that the sanctions are being applied personally to Ben Gvir and Smotrich. As a result, both men now face financial asset freezes, bans on entering the UK, and prohibitions on holding directorial positions in British companies.
Responding to the UK’s decision, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the move in pointed language.
“The British Mandate for the land of Israel ended in May 1948. It will never return,” Sa’ar declared in a statement posted on social media.
He emphasized Israel’s status as a self-governing nation, saying, “Israel is a sovereign, independent, and proud state that is fighting a historic battle for its existence against a regional axis working to destroy it. Israel will emerge from this battle with the upper hand, first and foremost, because it has no other choice.”
Sa’ar blasted the punitive measures targeting Israeli government ministers as “outrageous and unacceptable,” stressing that the government operates as a unified body and shares collective responsibility for its policies.
He added that the cabinet would meet in the coming days to formulate an official Israeli response to the international sanctions: “Early next week, we will hold a government meeting in which we will decide on our response to the decisions taken against the Ministers.”
{Matzav.com}
