UK Prime Minister and the country's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said on Wednesday his country is considering imposing sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
"We are looking at that," he said in the parliament after being asked about remarks made by the two. He described their statements as "abhorrent" and called on Israel to increase the quota of humanitarian aid entering the northern Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, the UK announced sanctions against seven Israeli settler groups "involved in the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank." One of the organizations is the "Amana" movement, which is "involved in the construction of illegal settler outposts and threatening and perpetrating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank." Other organizations include the "Od Yosef Chai" yeshiva, "Hashomer Yosh," and "Torat Lechima."
Ben-Gvir responded to the UK's potential actions, saying, "Just as the British attempted to thwart the establishment of Israel prior to its rise, they are now continuing to do so amid a war for survival. The sea is the same sea and the British are the same British."
"The British need to understand that the days of the Mandate are over. In any case, they don't scare me and I will continue to act solely in accordance with the supreme national interests of the State of Israel and for the residents of the state, our soldiers, police officers and prison guards. Down with the White Paper!" he added.
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National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Smotrich also responded to Starmer's statement, saying, "The British Mandate has ended, and with it, the White Paper, but the one-sidedness and hypocrisy remain. God willing, I will continue to do everything in my power to advance a policy of eliminating the Nazi terror from Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran and to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian terror state that would threaten the existence of the State of Israel and the security of the Jewish people."
"No threat will prevent me from doing what is right and moral for the citizens of Israel and if the British want to wrinkle their noses at my Zionist policies, then so be it," he added.
The UK isn't the first to announce it was considering imposing sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. The European Union also considered the issue headed by an initiative by EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell but didn't have majority support among the member states to approve the move.
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