According to a report from the Times, Britain and its allied nations will officially impose sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich due to their positions on the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
London intends to join Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other nations in freezing the assets and instituting travel bans on Ben Gvir, who serves as Israel’s national security minister and is a settler in the West Bank, alongside Finance Minister Smotrich.
The UK’s Foreign Office has yet to comment on this report.
Britain, along with other European nations, is increasing its pressure on the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lift the blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is on the verge of disaster, according to international experts.
Last month, London halted free trade talks with Israel, denouncing the Israeli government for its “scandalous policies” in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. British officials also summoned the Israeli ambassador and announced additional sanctions against settlers in the West Bank.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has referred to the recent escalation of Israeli military actions as “a dark new phase in this conflict” and has condemned Smotrich’s remarks about the potential clearing and destruction of Gaza and the relocation of its inhabitants.
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