U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized five countries on Tuesday that placed sanctions on two Israeli cabinet members.
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom announced that they would impose sanctions on Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, its minister of national security, for allegedly “inciting violence” against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
“The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet,” said Rubio in a statement. “These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war.”
“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace,” he stated. “We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”
