Rubio criticises UK over Gaza-related sanctions on Israeli ministers

Euronews

a day ago

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has criticised a decision by the UK and four other nations to impose sanctions on two far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers over their comments on Gaza.
"These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war," Rubio said in a statement on Tuesday.
The UK, alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, imposed sanctions on Israel's Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, claiming the pair had incited "violence against Palestinians in the West Bank".
"Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous," the countries said in a joint statement.
Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, and Ben-Gvir, the country's national security minister, are senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet.
They have long viewed any pause in fighting as a danger to Israeli deterrence and, as leaders of key far-right coalition parties, hold leverage over Netanyahu, whose political survival depends on their continued support.
As a result of the sanctions, both ministers could face travel bans and asset freezes.
Ben-Gvir was defiant in response to the UK government's decision to impose sanctions.
"We survived Pharaoh; we will also survive Keir Starmer," he said in a statement, comparing the sanctions to Britain's White Paper of 1939, which restricted Jewish immigration to the-then Mandatory Palestine. Ben-Gvir added that he would continue working for Israel and its people without fear or intimidation.
Smotrich said: "Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not allow it to do so again. We are determined to continue building."
Rubio also called on allies to "not forget who the real enemy is". He urged a reversal of the sanctions and said that the US stood "shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel".
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the sanctions "an incredible overreach".
Israel's government strongly condemned the announcement. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the move "outrageous" and said he would meet with Netanyahu next week to discuss a formal response. He warned the sanctions could harden Hamas' position in ongoing negotiations to end the war in Gaza.
Even centrist Israeli leaders criticised the sanctions. Benny Gantz, a political rival to Netanyahu, called the decision a "profound moral mistake" and said it sends "a dangerous message to terrorists around the world".
The sanctions come as traditional allies of Israel have stepped up their criticism of the country's prolonged war in Gaza and aid blockade, which human rights groups warn has pushed the enclave to the brink of famine.
South Korea's military said on Wednesday it had stopped broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda through loudspeakers along the border, as part of the new liberal government's bid to ease tensions and "restore trust" between the rivals.
The move fulfilled a campaign promise from South Korea's new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol.
Lee has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoon's hardline policies and shunned dialogue with Seoul as a result.
South Korea's defence ministry said suspending the broadcasts was part of efforts "to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula".
North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its ruler, Kim Jong-un, has not commented on the move by Seoul.
The broadcasts had previously been paused for six years, but they resumed in June last year in retaliation for North Korea flying rubbish-filled balloons over the border.
Between May and November last year, North Korea flew about 7,000 balloons toward South Korea in 32 separate events to drop substances such as wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure, according to Seoul.
Pyongyang said that its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with songs and dramas popular in the South.
The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fuelled by North Korea's growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the US and bolster three-way security cooperation with Japan.
During the recent South Korean election campaign, Lee promised to halt the broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for residents in border towns in the South.
Those residents had complained about North Korea's retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds.
In a briefing on Monday, South Korea's unification ministry also called for civilian activists in the country to stop flying anti-North propaganda leaflets across the border.
Such activities "could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas," a spokesperson for the ministry said.
Despite Lee's vow to reopen communication channels with Pyongyang, the likelihood of an early resumption of dialogue between the rivals remains low.
North Korea has consistently rejected such offers from the South and the US since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disputes.
Pyongyang's foreign policy priority is now with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine.