'Allies don't sanction allies': Finance Minister Smotrich unfazed by UK sanctions - interview
“There will be a very strong response toward these countries, the Palestinian Authority, and steps which will significantly strengthen Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich remained largely unfazed after the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway imposed personal sanctions on him and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday, restricting their assets and banning visits to those countries.
“This means nothing to me personally. I have no assets in any of those countries, nor any desire to visit them. But on a national level, this is a very serious matter,” Smotrich said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, the first he has given since the sanctions were imposed.
“The British, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and Norwegians have made a grave mistake. Allies do not impose sanctions on each other, even when there are disagreements. This crosses a red line.”
According to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the measures were taken over “incitement to serious violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria,” though no specific evidence was cited. A British Embassy spokesperson insisted, “These are personal sanctions, not sanctions against the Israeli government. The UK remains a friend of Israel.”
Smotrich rejected that distinction: “These sanctions were imposed on the State of Israel. My decisions are made on behalf of Israel, and the state stands behind them. My party and I hold 14 seats in the Knesset – nearly 12 percent of Israel’s democratic electorate. You don’t have to agree with our views, but you can’t sanction 12% of Israeli citizens.”
In the 24 hours following the announcement, consultations were held at the Prime Minister’s Office and the ministries of finance, foreign affairs, and national security to craft Israel’s response.
He added a broader moral challenge: “If the motivations behind this are petty political calculations – politicians trying to please their voter base – then one day you will look in the mirror, and your grandchildren will ask how, at a moral crossroads where the world needed to choose between good and evil, you chose evil and tried to prevent us from defeating our enemies.”
Ordering the cancellation of billions for transfers to Palestinian banks
Smotrich also ordered the cancellation of billions in state guarantees to Israeli banks for transfers to Palestinian banks, arguing: “Why should the State of Israel guarantee funds that then pay terrorists who murder our citizens? That is completely insane.”He accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of pursuing legal action against Israel at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, including arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Smotrich issued his starkest warning on the prospect of unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state: “If you recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally, we’ll leave nothing to recognize.”
He elaborated that any such recognition attempt would trigger the complete dismantling of the PA, leaving “no entity left for your recognition to apply to.”
Smotrich called the term “Palestinian state” a “euphemism for carving Gaza into 20 separate entities that control territory strategically vital to Israel,” and noted that “more than 85% of Israeli citizens oppose such a move.”
He concluded by thanking US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump for their support, contrasting them with what he called “our other so-called partners,” who, he said, accuse Israel of “ethnic cleansing.”
“We are in a war against a brutal enemy. We must achieve total victory and bring our hostages home,” Smotrich said. “We are fighting a cruel and violent terrorist organization – the war of the free, Western world. We want to eliminate evil from the face of the Earth.”
