HAMILTON, Canada
Canada, jointly with Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK, issued sanctions and other measures on Tuesday against two far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers "for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank."
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister and national security minister, respectively, “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights," said the joint statement, stressing that "extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous."
Calling Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's actions unacceptable, the statement noted that the allies "have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity."
The foreign ministers of all five countries demanded Israel "uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric."
"Today’s measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza," it said, adding that "there must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip."
The statement also expressed determination to reach an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages along with "unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food."
It also expressed firm support for a two-state solution as the only path to security and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians, warning that this goal is "imperiled by extremist (Israeli) settler violence and settlement expansion."
