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.
“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation... We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is,“ Rubio said, demanding a withdrawal of the sanctions.
“This is why we have taken action now to hold those responsible to account,“ the statement said.
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.
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.
In response, Netanyahu accused them of wanting to help Hamas and “being on the wrong side of history”.
“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.”
“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.
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.
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