Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were sanctioned on Tuesday for having incited “extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in the occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday morning.
In a brief statement, the Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem said that Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the Israeli forces.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque again under heavy Israeli police protection
It marks his 8th intrusion into the sacred site since joining Netanyahu’s government in 2022 https://t.co/3z6QE6iJHD pic.twitter.com/uPBQPfS5av
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) June 11, 2025
The latest intrusion into the Al-Aqsa complex was the eighth by the far-right minister since he joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in 2022.
Sanctions ‘Effective Immediately’
Ben-Gvir’s action comes a day after being sanctioned by the UK and four other countries for “repeated incitements of violence” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement on Monday, the UK Foreign Office said Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich “are now sanctioned for their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians, effective immediately.”
‘Incitements of Violence’ – UK Sanctions Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich
The UK joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway “in stepping up the international response” as Palestinian communities in the West Bank “continue to suffer from severe acts of violence by extremist Israeli settlers which also undermine a future Palestinian state.”
“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights,” a joint statement by the UK and its allies stated.
Both ministers, sanctioned in their personal capacity, are “now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification.”
Settler Attacks
As of April 2025, extremist settlers have carried out over 1,900 attacks against Palestinian civilians since January last year, the statement noted.
Between 27 May and 2 June 2025, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented at least 32 settler attacks on Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both.”
Palestinians, Activists ‘Hunted’ in Brutal Settler Attack in West Bank – Report
Last July, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and should be brought to an end “as rapidly as possible.”
(PC, Anadolu)
I’m surprised no one’s killed him yet. He’s a Nazi so he’s protected. He’s a scumbag, they all are.