Australia is doubling down on its decision to impose tough sanctions on two “extremist” Israeli government ministers in defiance of the US, which has urged a reversal.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Wednesday the targeted sanctions in a joint statement alongside her counterparts from Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
The measures – which include travel bans and financial sanctions – are against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have been accused of inciting “extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”.
Mr Ben-Gvir, from the Jewish Power party, and Mr Smotrich, of the Religious Zionism Party, are members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government. They are also West Bank settlers.
The sanctions mean any assets held in Australia will be frozen, they will be denied the provision of financial support, and they won’t be able to travel to the country.
In a pointed statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sanctions by the five nation states, saying they wouldn’t help US efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and bring the last Israeli hostages held by Hamas home.
“We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
“The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the response was “predictable”.
“The Israeli government does need to uphold its obligations under international law, and some of the expansionist rhetoric that we’ve seen is clearly in contradiction of that from these hardline right-wing members of the Netanyahu government,” he told ABC radio.
Mr Albanese is hoping to meet with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada next week.
Senator Wong said while Australia “can’t shift the dial” on the crisis in Gaza and the West Bank by itself, it can take action with others.
The sanctions were announced just days ahead of a United Nations conference aimed at advancing Palestinian statehood.
The joint statement on the sanctions said the two ministers’ extremist rhetoric pushing for the “forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the sanctions “outrageous” and said his government would hold a meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the “unacceptable decision” made by the five countries.
Although the sanctions focus on the West Bank, the foreign ministers said “this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza”.
Opposition frontbencher Dan Tehan said Labor needed to explain why it decided to proceed with the sanctions.
“This is a very serious move to sanction two ministers from a democratically elected government,” he told ABC radio.
“What we need to know is why this decision was made and how the government thinks it will help when the US, who’s leading the peace process, has said that it’s likely to be unhelpful.”
The Australian Centre for International Justice said the decision was a significant step and would send a clear message.
“These measures directly respond to the compelling evidence implicating Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in inciting extremist violence and serious human rights violations against Palestinians,” acting executive director Lara Khider said.
The current war in Gaza was sparked after Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation, invaded Israel and killed about 1200 people and abducted 250 others on October 7, 2023.
The aftermath has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 people in the strip.
with Reuters
Australian Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national newswire and has been delivering accurate, reliable and fast news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We keep Australia informed.
