Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
UK PM says Britain considering imposing sanctions on Smotrich, Ben Gvir
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks at a press conference, during his visit to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on October 2, 2024. (BENJAMIN CREMEL / POOL / AFP)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells Parliament that Britain is looking at sanctioning Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir over comments they have made about the Israel war against Hamas.
Asked if his government would sanction Smotrich over comments that starving civilians in Gaza might be justified and Ben Gvir for saying perpetrators of settler violence in the West Bank were heroes, Starmer says: “We are looking at that because they’re obviously abhorrent comments.”
“Israel must take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties, to allow aid into Gaza in much greater volumes and provide the UN humanitarian partners the ability to operate effectively,” Starmer says.
