Latest news with #internationalallies
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK places sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers over ‘monstrous' Gaza comments
Britain and other international allies have imposed sanctions on two extreme-right Israeli ministers over their 'monstrous' comments about Gaza, including plans to destroy the territory and use violence to gain control of new settlements in the West Bank. The UK is taking joint action with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries in freezing the assets of the Israeli security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir,, and the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and imposing travel bans on them. The US is not expected to be party to the move. The Israeli government said it had been informed at lunchtime on Tuesday. Sanctions announcements are typically kept under wraps on the basis that advance warning gives those targeted the chance to remove their assets from the relevant jurisdiction. UK ministers have had the option of sanctioning the two ministers on their desks for more than a year, and only a fortnight ago decided to hold back after needing more work to secure international support for the move. Smotrich has approved the expansion of West Bank settlements and campaigned against humanitarian aid in Gaza, saying in May that he would allow 'not even a grain of wheat' to enter the warzone. He said on 6 May that 'Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will be sent to … the south to a humanitarian zone without Hamas or terrorism, and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries'. In remarks condemned by Germany, one of Israel's closest allies, Smotrich said last year that that the death of two million Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip from hunger might be justifiable. 'We can't, in the current global reality, manage a war. Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned,' he told a conference hosted by the Israel Hayom newspaper. Ben Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on 26 May and has called for the Muslim world's third holiest site to be replaced with a synagogue. He has also repeatedly called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. 'We must encourage emigration, encourage the voluntary emigration of the residents of Gaza,' he said last year. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, described Smotrich's comments as monstrous and repellant in the Commons a fortnight ago, but he held back from sanctioning the two men. He sanctioned a small group of settlers and announced there would be no further talks on an expanded trade deal with Israel. Ministers were not scheduled to make a formal ministerial statement in the Commons on the new sanctions, but they are now expected to be pressed to do so.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
UK to sanction Israel ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, Times reports
Britain and other international allies are set to formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, in response to the war in Gaza, the Times reported on Tuesday.
Al Arabiya
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Netanyahu acknowledges pressure from allies in decision to resume Gaza aid
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Monday that his decision to resume aid to Gaza came from pressure from allies. In a video statement posted to social media, Netanyahu said that Israel's allies had voiced concern about 'images of hunger.' Israel's 'greatest friends in the world,' he said without mentioning specific nationalities, had said there is 'one thing we cannot stand. We cannot accept images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to support you.' 'Therefore to achieve victory, we need to somehow solve the problem,' Netanyahu said. The aid that would be let in would be 'minimal,' he said without specifying precisely when it would resume. Israel on Sunday said it would resume aid deliveries into the war-battered territory after a complete halt on imports since early March. Israel has maintained that the blockade on goods — including fuel, food and medicine — was meant to ramp up pressure on Hamas. The weekslong halt on aid deepened and already dire humanitarian crisis and prompted warnings of famine from food experts.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Stark and remarkable moment': Nick Paton Walsh on demand for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire
Ukraine and its European allies have called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which could start as early as Monday, after the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland arrived in Kyiv on Saturday. CNN international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reports from Kyiv.
