Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s minister of Finance, leads the Religious Zionist Party in the Israeli parliament. Itamar Ben-Gvir, minister of National Security in the Netanyahu government, leads the Otzma Yehudit Party. The two men constitute the farthest-right position in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

Both men have opposed humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. Both have supported the transfer of all Palestinians out of Gaza. Both have also downplayed violence against West Bank Palestinians as well as the construction of illegal settlements there.

And now both have been sanctioned by four major American allies: Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, as well as Norway.

The five nations are freezing the assets of both men and are barring them from entry, because, as they explained in a joint statement, “Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable.”

The statement also........

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