More than 160 Israelis living in the UK have urged the Labour government to impose sanctions on Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, accusing them of threatening democracy and advocating policies that violate international law.
In a sharply worded petition, signatories have called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy to target the two far-right Israeli ministers for their efforts to annex the West Bank and resettle Gaza.
The letter, organised by grassroots diaspora group, We Democracy, demands the UK “implement sanctions against two extremist Israeli Ministers”, who it accuses of “doing all they can to prevent a hostage and ceasefire deal and instead focusing their entire energies on their messianic aims: annexing the West Bank and settling the Gaza strip”.
The group, which includes professors, artists, psychologists and technology professionals, as well as UK-based Israelis who lost loved ones on October 7, have been calling for a hostage deal and an end to the war for months. Some members of We Democracy were involved in the protests before the war which highlighted Israeli politicians’ attacks on the country’s independent judiciary.
Now they are arguing that sanctioning two of Israel’s most controversial ministers would “send a clear message that being a true friend of Israel means driving a wedge between the most extreme and harmful elements in Israeli society, and the majority of Israelis who share the same liberal values as the UK.”
The letter accuses the Israeli government of “taking Israel down the route of war crimes” in Gaza.
“The UK government is at risk of being implicated in those crimes, due to its continued support for the government. If the UK is a true friend of Israeli society, it should not turn a blind eye to the grave risk that the rise of the extreme right represents.”
Calling for sanctions “doesn’t come naturally to many of us,” the letter goes on. “We are Israelis who want to see Israel thriving as a democratic state. But that’s exactly why we believe the international community must do all it can to stop these extremists from destroying Israel from within”.
A protester holds a sign depicting the faces of (L to R) Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, during an anti-government demonstration by left-wing activists in Tel Aviv on May 11, 2024. (Photo via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
The letter states that Ben Gvir is a convicted criminal and Smotrich is known for his 2017 “Decisive Plan” - “calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” - and since 2023, both have used positions of power and influence to pursue their agenda.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are accused of "working fast towards their goals of annexation and occupation, and proposing a plethora of laws against the media, protesters and democracy. Red lines have been crossed and action must be taken now.”
The group cites Smotrich’s comments advocating for the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza as a “clear violation of international law... We are appalled that these people claim to speak for us.”
The letter comes after British Jewish peace group, Yachad, launched a similar campaign condemning Smotrich and Ben Gvir and appealing for them to be sanctioned by the UK.
Yachad wrote: “Forcibly removing the residents of Gaza and telling them they cannot return to their homes must be condemned.”
The group cited evidence that “appears to confirm the implementation of the so-called ‘Generals’ Plan’. This plan has been devised by Israeli retired military generals, to permanently clear civilians from the north and treat anyone remaining as a hostile target.”
Referring to Ben Gvir’s comments about resettling Gaza, and Smotrich’s words about starving the Gazan population, Yachad claimed that the ministers “long ago abandoned the hostages and openly support transferring Palestinians out of Gaza with the intention of resettling it.”
“It is essential that the UK government implement sanctions now.” This, they argue, would disable the ministers from some banking services, “immediately marginalising them and limiting their influence.
“It would also encourage other Western allies to follow suit, creating a groundswell against their extremism which sits at the heart of the Israeli government,” Yachad said.
Yachad has implored their followers to write to Members of Parliament and “urge immediate sanctions against these officials”.
The group also claimed that there has been an “absence of clear voices of leadership in our community condemning these words and actions”.
