UK, allies impose sanctions on Israeli ministers
LONDON (Reuters) — Britain and four other nations imposed sanctions on Tuesday on two far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway joined Britain in freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on Israel's national Security Minister Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich, both West Bank settlers.
Signaling a rare split with its close British ally, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the US condemned the move. He said it would not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, end the war there and bring home hostages Palestinian Hamas militants abducted from Israel 20 months ago.
"We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization. ... We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is," Rubio said, demanding a withdrawal of the sanctions.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy, in a joint statement with the foreign ministers of the other four nations, said Ben-Gvir and Smotrich had "incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable.
"This is why we have taken action now to hold those responsible to account," the statement said.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said the sanctions included targeted financial restrictions and travel bans.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the action by the five countries was "outrageous" and the Israeli government would hold a special meeting early next week to decide how to respond.
Smotrich, speaking at the inauguration of a new West Bank Jewish settlement in the Hebron Hills, spoke of "contempt" for Britain's move. "We are determined, God willing, to continue building," he said.
As the five nations announced action against the Israeli ministers, the United States imposed sanctions on a leading Palestinian human rights organization as well as five charity groups in the Middle East and Europe, accusing them of supporting Palestinian militants, including Hamas.
Last month, the leaders of Britain, France and Canada put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to end a blockade on aid into Gaza, where international experts have said famine is imminent, promising "concrete action" if a new military offensive did not stop.
London also suspended free trade talks with Israel for pursuing "egregious policies" in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and announced further sanctions against West Bank settlers.
In response, Netanyahu accused them of wanting to help Hamas and "being on the wrong side of history."
Tuesday's joint statement said their action was focused on curbing violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and was aimed solely at individuals who "undermine Israel's own security." But it added the measures could not be seen in isolation of events in Gaza.
"We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid," it said.
"There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip." The foreign ministers said they still wanted "a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on shared ties, values and commitment to (its) security and future."
"We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas, which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution," the statement said.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have previously clashed with Netanyahu, both calling for the permanent conquest of Gaza and reestablishment of the Jewish settlements there that Israel abandoned in 2005, notions that the Israeli leader has rejected.
Israel began its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 2023 in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to Israeli tallies, and 251 people were taken to Gaza and held hostage.
Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza and killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
29 minutes ago
- Korea Herald
UN nuclear watchdog board censures Iran, which retaliates by announcing a new enrichment site
VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board of governors on Thursday formally found that Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, a move that could lead to further tensions and set in motion an effort to restore United Nations sanctions on Tehran later this year. Iran reacted immediately, saying it will establish a new enrichment facility 'in a secure location' and that 'other measures are also being planned.' 'The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,' the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a joint statement. U.S. President Donald Trump previously warned that Israel or America could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed — and some American personnel and their families have begun leaving the region over the tensions, which come ahead of a new round of Iran-U.S. talks Sunday in Oman . In Israel, the U.S. Embassy ordered American government employees and their families to remain in the Tel Aviv area over security concerns. Nineteen countries on the International Atomic Energy Agency's board, which represents the agency's member nations, voted for the resolution, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote. Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, 11 abstained and two did not vote. In the draft resolution seen by The Associated Press, the board of governors renews a call on Iran to provide answers 'without delay' in a long-running investigation into uranium traces found at several locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces could provide further evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003. The resolution was put forward by France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. Speaking to Iranian state television after the vote, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that his agency immediately informed the IAEA of 'specific and effective' actions Tehran would take. 'One is the launch of a third secure site' for enrichment, spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said. He did not elaborate on the location, but the organization's chief Mohammad Eslami later described the site as "already built, prepared, and located in a secure and invulnerable place.' Iran has two underground sites at Fordo and Natanz and has been building tunnels in the mountains near Natanz since suspected Israeli sabotage attacks targeted that facility. The other step would be replacing old centrifuges for advanced ones at Fordo. 'The implication of this is that our production of enriched materials will significantly increase,' Kamalvandi said. According to the draft resolution, 'Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement.' Under those obligations, which are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material and activities and allow IAEA inspectors to verify that none of it is being diverted from peaceful uses. The draft resolution also finds that the IAEA's 'inability ... to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful gives rise to questions that are within the competence of the United Nations Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.' The draft resolution made a direct reference to the U.S.-Iran talks, stressing its 'support for a diplomatic solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear program, including the talks between the United States and Iran, leading to an agreement that addresses all international concerns related to Iran's nuclear activities, encouraging all parties to constructively engage in diplomacy.' A senior Western diplomat last week described the resolution as a 'serious step,' but added that Western nations are 'not closing the door to diplomacy on this issue.' However, if Iran fails to cooperate, an extraordinary IAEA board meeting will likely be held in the summer, during which another resolution could get passed that will refer the issue to the Security Council, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the issue with the media. The three European nations have repeatedly threatened in the past to reinstate, or 'snapback,' sanctions that have been lifted under the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal if Iran does not provide 'technically credible' answers to the U.N. nuclear watchdog's questions. In a joint statement to the IAEA board of governors, the three European nations said that they would 'spare no efforts to work towards a diplomatic solution' but added that without a satisfying deal, they would 'consider triggering the snapback mechanism to address threats to international peace and security arising from Iran's nuclear program.' The authority to reestablish those sanctions by the complaint of any member of the original 2015 nuclear deal expires in October, putting the West on a clock to exert pressure on Tehran over its program before losing that power. The resolution comes on heels of the IAEA's so-called 'comprehensive report' that was circulated among member states last weekend. In the report, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said that Iran's cooperation with the agency has 'been less than satisfactory' when it comes to uranium traces discovered by agency inspectors at several locations in Iran. One of the sites became known publicly in 2018, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied this, but in 2019, IAEA inspectors detected the presence of uranium traces there as well as at two other sites.
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Bipartisan resolution passes in Seoul for honoring Charles Rangel
The National Assembly in Seoul on Thursday unanimously voted to pass a resolution to remember former Congressman Charles Rangel, a US Army veteran who fought in the Korean War. The resolution, co-authored by Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Young-bae and People Power Party Rep. Choi Hyung-du, was signed by 69 lawmakers of the two main parties. In the resolution, South Korean lawmakers said they express their "deepest respect" of the late congressman for his "dedication to defending the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea against the illegal invasion by North Korea on June 25, 1950." The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name. Rangel, over his time in the US Congress from 1971 to 2017, made "great contributions to the ROK-US alliance's resilience and strength, and peace on the Korean Peninsula," the resolution also said. "We extend our deepest condolences on the passing of Rep. Charles Rangel, and in his honor, resolve to continue to remember and cherish the values and spirit of the ROK-US alliance." Rangel, who died in May at 94 years, earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service in the Korean War. Also on Thursday, the National Assembly held an opening ceremony of the Seoul office of the Korea-US Parliamentarians' Union. "I think lawmakers of both parties all agree on the importance of continued efforts to cultivate the alliance and friendship between the two countries," Woo Won-shik, the Assembly speaker, said at the ceremony. The Korea chapter of the union launched in March.
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Special counsel probes of Yoon couple 'people's demand': presidential office
The presidential office said Thursday that the special counsel investigations into former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee were launched in response to the people's demand. Kang Yu-jung, Lee's spokesperson, told a press briefing that "getting to the bottom of insurrection is the demand of the people, as the results of the presidential election show." The opposition People Power Party said that the special counsel investigations were of an "unprecedented size costing billions of won," with a total of 577 prosecutors and investigators. "The sheer size of the investigations is tantamount to a single district attorney's office," the People Power Party said in a statement Wednesday, saying the Democratic Party of Korea has "created its own district attorney's office." Tuesday's Cabinet meeting approved the ruling Democratic Party-led bills for opening special counsel investigations into the former first couple, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik asking President Lee Jae-myung to appoint special counsels to lead the investigations. The special counsels would look into allegations that Yoon committed either insurrection or treason by trying to impose martial law on Dec. 3. They would also scrutinize allegations that Yoon's wife Kim, meddled in the People Power Party's nomination process for a National Assembly seat in the 2022 by-election.
