Itamar Ben-Gower and Bezalel Smotrich incited extremist violence and committed serious violations of Palestinian human rights, a joint statement by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Britain
Dr. Akhtar Gulfam, Editor-in-Chief Daily Dawn, Director of News Dawn TV
London: According to the French news agency AFP, the Israeli ministers who have been banned include Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itmar Ben-Gower.
A statement issued by the British Foreign Office said that the two individuals will now not be able to enter the country and their assets here will also be frozen.
This step has been taken jointly by Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway and its announcement comes at a time when the Israeli government is facing criticism from the international community over the method adopted to fight Hamas.
A British government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Canada and Australia would soon impose a ban, while New Zealand and Norway have imposed a ban on ministerial travel only.
The move appears to distance the five key countries from Israel’s biggest ally, the United States.
A joint statement from the foreign ministers of the five countries said that “Goyer and Smotrich incited violence against Palestinians and grave violations of their rights.”
According to the statement, “Such actions are unacceptable, which is why this step is being taken to hold them accountable.”
Leave a Reply