‘Clear message': Australia joins allies to sanction ‘extremist' Israeli ministers as US criticise action

West Australian

a day ago

Australia has joined the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in slapping travel bans and financial sanctions on two senior Israeli government ministers in a major split from its biggest security partner, the United States.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were hit with the Magnitsky-style sanctions for inciting 'extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights', a joint statement by the nations' foreign ministers said.
These included Israeli settlements considered illegal under international law, the governments said, reiterating support for a two-state solution as 'the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians' and 'long-term stability in the region'.
The statement criticised extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements as 'appalling and dangerous'.
'We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now – to hold those responsible to account.'
The five countries said the measures were targeted towards individuals who 'in our view undermine Israel's own security and its standing in the world,' and stressed the sanctions did not deviate from 'unwavering support for Israel's security'.
But Israel and the United States immediately condemned the move against the two right-wing ministers, calling for its reversal.
'These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,' said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.
'We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation 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.'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the response from the US and Israel as 'predictable, frankly'.
He said the 'expansionist rhetoric' from the two Israeli ministers sanctioned overnight by Australia was a 'serious impediment' to a two-state solution.
'Sometimes, friends have to be clear with each other. We've been clear with the Israeli Government about our concerns, which we've raised continuously, both privately and through previous statements,' he said.
'And this statement ... makes our position very clear about these two ministers.'
Foreign Minister Penny Wong defended the sanctions action as a necessary step towards achieving peace in the region as she repeated condemnation of Hamas for their terrorist activities and the 'horrific events of October 7'.
Australia had joined the collaborative move to 'send a very clear message' about the impingement of Palestinian rights in the West Bank.
'We have, with others, targeted sanctions, personal sanctions against these ministers, because whilst they are not the only members of the Israeli government whose actions have been problematic, they are certainly the most extreme,' she said.
'This action is the result of many months of effort and coordination, and together, these countries are sending a message: you have ignored the international community, and we do not tolerate it.'
Shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash is seeking a briefing on the decision to impose sanctions, saying the Coalition expected there would have been 'a very high threshold' before the 'very serious development'.
'We are concerned that there is a pattern of decisions by the Albanese Government targeting the Israeli Government, rather than Hamas, including the decision to block the Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister from travelling to Australia and the refusal to rule out arresting the Prime Minister of Israel,' she said in a statement.
Senator Wong confirmed Australia had engaged with the US overnight and acknowledged differences in views.
'Obviously, in the history of our alliance, there are issues on which we've taken different approaches. And I would make the point that we are acting with others,' she said.
She declined to answer whether she had spoken directly with Israel's Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon but said she had seen the statement by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and 'respectfully disagreed' with it.
Mr Sa'ar labelled the action unacceptable and outrageous.
He and Mr Netanyahu will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide Israel's response.
'It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures,' Mr Sa'ar said.
He said the international political pressure on Israel sought 'to bring about an end to the war without achieving its goals' and only hardened Hamas' stance in hostage and ceasefire negotiations.
'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,' he said.
'Israel will emerge from this battle with the upper hand – first and foremostly because it has no other choice.'
The UK government also stressed it had made it repeatedly clear to Israel it believed Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich were responsible for inciting settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank and that it must stop.
'When the UK says we are against something, we absolutely expect the government to condemn it and for it to stop,' Foreign Minister David Lammy said.
His colleague Hamish Falconer, Minister for the Middle East, told the UK Parliament the two-state solution was in peril and the gravity of the situation demanded further action.
'The reality is that these human rights abuses, incitement to violence, the extremist rhetoric comes not just from an uncontrolled fringe but from individuals who are Ministers in this Israeli government,' he said.
'Today, with our partners, we have shown the extremists we will not sit by while they wreck the prospects of future peace.'
Mr Falconer said the agendas of the two ministers were 'not even supported by the majority of Israelis'.
Anita Anand, Canada's Foreign Minister, said the continued expansion of settlements and acts of extremist settler violence in the West Bank 'pose serious obstacles to peace and the realisation of a two-state solution'.
'We resolutely stand with the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and their right to live in peace and security, with dignity and without fear,' she said.
Saudi Arabia and France will co-host a 'two-state solution' conference at the UN next week.
Ahead of this, Senator Wong flagged the possibility of international recognition of a Palestinian state coming before the end of a negotiation process but said there were clear conditions attached to recognition including the sovereign security of Israel, release of hostages and no role for Hamas.
American ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said this week he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a goal of US foreign policy.