Starmer condemned by US over Israel sanctions
11 June 2025
The US Secretary of State has condemned Sir Keir Starmer for imposing sanctions on two Israeli politicians over the war in Gaza.
Marco Rubio criticised Britain and other nations for announcing on Tuesday that they would break with the US and sanction two ultra-nationalist Israeli cabinet ministers.
The UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway accused Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich of “inciting violence against the Palestinian people”.
Mr Rubio said the sanctions “do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war”. He urged the UK “not to forget who the real enemy is”.
Mr Ben-Gvir responded on Tuesday evening by comparing Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain, the former prime minister who was accused of appeasing the Nazis.
“History will judge the Chamberlains of our time,” Mr Ben-Gvir, who has called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, replied to Mr Rubio’s post on X.
The US ambassador to the UK said he fully supported Mr Rubio’s comments, adding that the sanctions “impede constructive dialogue”.
Under the sanctions, Mr Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, and Mr Smotrich, the finance minister, will be banned from entering the UK. All their financial assets in Britain will also be frozen.
Israel has faced growing international criticism over the conduct of its war with Hamas.
Last week, Sir Keir described its actions in Gaza as “appalling”, while aid groups have accused Israel of blocking food and medicine from entering the territory despite an increasing humanitarian crisis.
Foreign Office sources told The Telegraph they hoped sanctioning high-profile members of the Israeli government would make it clear that the UK was willing to adopt a hard line approach to allow aid into Gaza and bring about a ceasefire.
The sanctions mark a significant break between No 10 and the White House. Donald Trump has lifted sanctions on Israeli settlers and threatened diplomatic action against the International Criminal Court as it seeks to investigate Israel for war crimes.
The Foreign Office is understood to have informed the US government that the sanctions were coming on Monday night. However, the State Department was not given a chance to object or veto the decision.
In a joint statement, the five countries said Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”.
“These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now – to hold those responsible to account,” they added.
Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, described the sanctions as “outrageous”. He added: “I discussed it earlier today with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision.”
Mr Smotrich once described the entire Arab population of the West Bank as “Nazis”. Last month, he said that Gaza should be “totally destroyed” and its population evacuated. He also said he would not let a “grain of wheat” into the territory.
It is unclear what meaningful response Israel can take against the UK, which technically remains a key ally. British and other diplomats working in the West Bank have already been subject to bureaucratic “frustrations” by Israel for over a year, it is understood.
The Israeli government has promised to discuss the matter at a cabinet meeting in five days time, suggesting it would prefer to downplay the importance of the sanctions rather than escalate the row.
The Telegraph understands that British ministers did not explicitly threaten Israel with the sanctions, but – particularly since Labour took over last year – had become increasingly critical about human rights abuses, particularly comments and actions that led to violence in the West Bank, behind closed doors.
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said the Israeli pair had used “horrendous extremist language” and that he would “encourage the Israeli government to disavow and condemn that language”.
He has also described the conduct of the Israeli army as “monstrous” and condemned the actions of “extremist” settlers in the West Bank.
Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, called the responses from Israel and the US “predictable”.
“The Israeli government does need to uphold its obligations under international law and some of the expansionist rhetoric that we’ve seen as well is clearly in contradiction of that from these hard-line right wing members of the Netanyahu government,” he said on Wednesday in an interview with ABC Radio Sydney.
Mr Albanese said the comments made by the two men had “aided what is a serious impediment to a two-state solution”.
New Zealand’s foreign minister insisted the measures were not directed against the Israeli people or government.
“Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution,” Winston Peters said.
In response, Yishai Fleisher, a former advisor to Mr Ben-Gvir, attacked the sanctions and Mr Lammy calling him “Mr Lamey”.
“It’s a sad day for Western civilisation when the formerly great country of England and the UK, and other countries, have completely succumbed to the jihadist narrative, just as the streets of London are succumbing to jihad,” he told the BBC.
“Now, instead of defending Israel, which is the lone Jewish state that is constantly under attack from radical Islam, the UK has joined the wrong side to fight against the Jewish state, to try to shrink it and destroy it, and now to delegitimise the government.”
Mr Smotrich, meanwhile, appeared to retaliate against sanctions by attempting to cripple the financial system that underpins the Palestinian economy.
His office said in a statement that he had ordered the cancellation of a waiver that indemnified Israeli banks when corresponding with Palestinian banks. The Palestinian Authority relies heavily on its relationships with Israeli banks, as it does not have its own currency.
Earlier, Mr Smotrich threatened to collapse the Palestinian Authority in response to the sanctions. It is understood that foreign diplomats in Israel are concerned that this measure is not a bluff and worried about the damage it might do.
On Tuesday, the US dropped its support for an independent Palestinian state.
Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said a two-state solution was no longer White House policy. He said: “Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there’s no room for it.”
The sanctions are not thought to be linked to the issue of recognising a Palestinian state. France and Saudi Arabia are planning a major conference next week with the aim of pushing that agenda.
While it is a manifesto commitment for the UK government to recognise a Palestinian state, it is thought Sir Keir Starmer has yet to decide how best to proceed.
On Wednesday there were further reports of shooting near a newly-opened aid centre run by the US Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The Gaza civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting to enter the food distribution facility near the neighbourhood of Netzarim, in the centre of the Strip, killing 31 and wounding around 200.
The agency comes under the Gazan ministry of the interior, which is controlled by Hamas. Other accounts put the death toll at 25. The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It follows reports of several deaths on Tuesday, and multiple mass-casualty events last week at the Rafah GHF centre, with eyewitnesses blaming Israeli fire.