U.K. and Canada Set to Impose Sanctions on Far-Right Israeli Ministers

Canada|U.K. and Canada Set to Impose Sanctions on Far-Right Israeli Ministers

The governments of Britain and Canada are sanctioning two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, a move expected to be matched by other allies, in a break with Washington that highlights the hardening stance toward Israel in the West over its conduct of the war in Gaza.

The sanctions, set to be announced on Tuesday, will limit the right to travel and freeze the financial assets of the Israeli security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, in Canada and Britain, according to two officials familiar with the plans.

Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, decried the move as “outrageous” on Tuesday.

“We were informed about the UK decision to include two of our Ministers on the British Sanctions list. It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures,” he said. “I discussed it earlier today with PM Netanyahu and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision,” he added.

The move to sanction the two ministers had been weeks in the making, and comes after Canada, Britain and France also issued a stark statement last month about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

“If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,” that statement said.

Speaking in Parliament in late May, David Lammy, Britain’s foreign secretary, denounced Israel’s conduct of the war.

He said that Britain would suspend talks on a trade agreement and blasted comments by Mr. Smotrich about “cleansing” Gaza and moving its two million people to other countries.

“We must call this what it is,” Mr. Lammy said. “It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous.”