The United Kingdom, Canada, and several Western allies have imposed sanctions on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich due to his inflammatory rhetoric and actions towards Palestinians. These sanctions illustrate a remarkable change in policy, departing from the United States’ decades-long protection of Israeli officials. Sanctions have recently been reimposed in response to increasing concerns over Smotrich’s repeated advocacy for annexing settlements in the West Bank. His incendiary comments on Gaza and its non-combatants have piled onto these fears.
Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Israel’s security cabinet and major power broker over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His leverage in the political realm is no secret. His leadership of the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism deepens his claim to be at the head of Israel’s political far-right forces. Smotrich is already under devastating fire for his effort to annex, on paper, the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He has likewise called time and again for expulsions of Palestinians from Gaza.
These measures, which the Western countries in question have publicly decried as punishment for Smotrich’s “incitement to violence against Palestinians.” UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said Smotrich’s incendiary rhetoric could not be described in any other terms than “dangerous” and “repellent.” He repeated his call for a two-state solution as the best way to achieve long-term security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
“It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.” – David Lammy
The coordinated nature of the sanctions sends a potent message from Western countries. They will no longer accept leaders who condone violence and erode human rights. Foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway released a joint statement. They renewed their support for a two-state solution and spoke out against extremist violence that could undermine stability in the region.
“We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion.” – Foreign ministers of the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway
In the face of this international backlash, Smotrich defiantly doubled down on the sanctions. He framed them as a conspiracy to undermine his plan to stop the establishment of a Palestinian state. In his keynote address, he painted a great picture of what’s going on today. He made comparisons to Britain’s past limits on Jewish immigration while under the British mandate in Palestine.
“I heard that Britain has decided to impose sanctions on me because I’m thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state. There couldn’t be better timing than this.” – Bezalel Smotrich
Smotrich has been adamant about his priorities. He promises to continue opposing any humanitarian aid to Palestinians while calling for the expansion of Israeli settlements.
“Britain already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not let it happen again. With God’s help, we are determined to continue building.” – Bezalel Smotrich
These sanctions have ramifications beyond Smotrich. Beyond the specifics of these statements and resolutions, they reflect a growing frustration among Western partners with Israel’s violence and oppression against its Palestinian neighbors. The combination of increasing settlement expansions and military actions surrounding Gaza are raising sensitivity to a boiling point. International observers are horrified and terrified that violence will become even more deadly.
The introduction of these sanctions introduces a new and important chapter in the diplomatic relations between Israel and its allies. They highlight a legislative divide in the country’s short- and long-term strategic goals and objectives regarding persistent tensions in the territory. Global conversations on human rights are picking up steam. As a consequence, opportunists and demagogues like Smotrich will be under ever-growing pressure from constituents back home and audiences overseas.
