Top Trump official Marco Rubio says US condemns UK sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers

10 June 2025, 22:48 | Updated: 10 June 2025, 22:52

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned the UK's decision to sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, saying it hinders US-led ceasefire efforts.

It comes after two Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, were sanctioned by the UK for “their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian communities” in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

Mr Ben-Gvir, the security minister, and Mr Smotrich, the finance minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government will both face a travel ban and see their assets frozen.

Marco Rubio condemned the sanctions and urged the UK to reverse them, saying the US "stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel."

"The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet," he wrote in a post on X.

"These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war," he added.

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Rubio said the Trump administration "remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is," referring to Hamas, which he said "prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace."

The sanctions are part of efforts by the UK and other Western nations to ramp up pressure on Israel’s government amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Smotrich and Ben-Gvir both belong to far-right parties which help to prop up Netanyahu’s fragile coalition government.

Both have been criticised for their hardline stance on the war in Gaza.

Smotrich has campaigned against allowing aid into Gaza, while Ben-Gvir has called for its residents be resettled from the territory.

“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy, along with the foreign ministers from the other nations, said in a joint statement confirming the sanctions.

“This is why we have taken action now to hold those responsible to account.”

Israel’s foreign minister has said it is “outrageous” that the UK has sanctioned two of the country’s government ministers.

Gideon Sa’ar said he had spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that an Israeli response would be discussed at a meeting early next week.

He said: “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.

“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.”

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Israel’s Special Envoy for Trade and Innovation, told LBC News the announcement of sanctions was disappointing.

She said: "It's really not what allies do. There are always some unsavoury characters in politics that say some silly things. I'm not here to defend Smotrich and Ben-Gvir and everything they've said, but they are ministers who are democratically elected and they also do not reflect government policy".

However the sanctions have been welcomed by Qatar - which has mediated ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in recent months.

Majed Al-Ansari - who speaks for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs - told LBC's Andrew Marr: "We need to sanction the voices of hate on all sides. This language cannot be accepted in the international community, we cannot hear something like this being said by a government official that represents a government that's a member of the UN.

"We commend the UK government for their decision and hope that other governments follow suit".