Rubio denounces sanctions on Ben Gvir and Smotrich, urges their reversal

After the State Department’s spokesperson condemned the decision by five Western government’s decisions to sanction far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the office issues a statement in Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s name echoing disapproval of the move.

The statement is largely a regurgitation of the one made earlier by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, but also includes a call from Rubio for United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia to reverse the decision.

“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war,” Rubio says.

The secretary’s statement focused on Gaza, but the British-led move came in response to Israel’s policies in the West Bank, where they said Smotrich and Ben Gvir have incited extremist violence against Palestinians. Settler attacks have been taking place there unchecked on a near-daily basis and the head of the police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for ignoring the phenomenon in order to curry favor with Ben Gvir.

“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel,” Rubio says.