David Cameron launched an attack today on two “extremist” ministers in Netanyahu’s government, revealing that he had been “working up sanctions against” the duo during his time as foreign secretary.
According to Cameron, measures such as asset freezes and travel bans against Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and its finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, were mulled over by the Tory government but put on hold due to the general election.
Cameron urged his successor, David Lammy, to consider such a move, stating, “Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have said things like encouraging people to stop aid convoys getting into Gaza and encouraging extreme settlers in the West Bank with the appalling things they have been carrying out… when ministers in your government are extremists and behave in this way, we are prepared to use our sanctions regime to say this is simply not good enough and has to stop”.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have been considered extreme in Israeli domestic politics for years prior to their ascension to government. The original political party Ben-Gvir was a member of was, the Kach and Kahane Chai party, which was designated as a terrorist organisation and outlawed by the Israeli government. Ben-Gvir himself has been indicted dozens of times and convicted of “incitement to racism and supporting a terror organisation”.
A year prior to the 7 October attacks, Ben-Gvir ignited a firestorm in Israel after brandishing his firearm towards stone-wielding Palestinians and urging police to “mow down” the agitated East Jerusalem crowd. In a separate instance, the national security minister pulled his gun on Palestinian parking attendants who requested he re-park his car in the correct section.
Despite these incidents and his criminal conviction, Israel’s high court rejected a petition to dismiss Ben-Gvir from his government position earlier this year.
Smotrich is equally divisive, proclaiming himself a “proud homophobe”, declaring on a trip to Paris that “there is no such thing as a Palestinian people”, and supporting the creation of “Greater Israel” which entails the invasion and occupation of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. In August, Smotrich invoked outrage globally after lamenting the international community’s insistence that humanitarian aid be provided to Gazans, musing that it may be “justified and moral” to starve out the population to achieve the hostages’ release.
This week, Israeli media reports indicate that Netanyahu is considering – or is in the process of implementing – similar proposals to those floated by Smotrich. The alleged plan involves a full siege on Gaza’s north, giving combatants and residents the choice to “surrender or starve”.
Israeli officials have denied that the plan is being executed. The IDF has given a recent mass evacuation order to Gazans in the northern area of the strip and yesterday, an IDF tank attack killed ten Palestinians as they queued for food.
While the Smotrich and Ben-Gvir represent relatively tiny parties in Israeli politics, their influence on Netanyahu’s war policy has been significant since October 7 because the governing coalition cannot survive without their support.
Critics and hostage families have continually expressed concerns as the duo have committed to blocking any ceasefire with Hamas or Hezbollah, eroding the potential for the release of captured Israelis through a deal. Today, defence minister Yoav Gallant confirmed the distressed hostage families’ worst fears stating, “there is no deal in sight”.
Hours after Cameron’s condemnation of the “extreme” ministers, the UK’s foreign office announced additional sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank. But whether Lammy heeds Cameron’s advice on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir remains to be seen. Such a move could send a strong message to Netanyahu.
That said, an additional announcement today – from the American side – could go beyond the symbolic and increase pressure on Netanyahu to pay attention to international law. According to Axios, US secretaries Blinken and Austin have provided Israel with a thirty-day ultimatum: scrap the north Gaza plan and improve the humanitarian situation or some American military aid will be suspended indefinitely.
This is the most explicit warning so far from Israel’s key ally that support is not unconditional.