Former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Lord David Cameron told the BBC on Tuesday that he had planned to sanction Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Cameron served as the UK’s PM from 2010 until 2016 and then as Foreign Minister from 2023 until 2024.
He told the BBC’s Today program that before the 2024 election, he planned to sanction Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
He called them both extremists and said that he believed that the sanctions would send a good message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He also clarified that he saw the sanctions as an alternative to an arms embargo, which would have been inconsistent with UK policy to support Israel against Iran and would have allowed the UK to criticize as a friend and ally.
Cameron highlighted that sanctions had been planned due to statements made by Smotrich and Ben-Gvir encouraging people to block the entry of aid into Gaza and settler violence.
When asked why the sanctions had never been enacted, Cameron said he had been advised that it would have been “too much of a political act” during the election.
Sources close to the UK government told the BBC that Cameron’s plan to impose a travel ban and asset freeze on the ministers was advanced and ready to go. UK sanctions require a detailed and legal case, which takes time to compile.
Other sources told the BBC that there was concern that UK sanctions on the pair would be worn as “a badge of honor.”
A civil servant told the BBC that imposing sanctions on Russia was difficult because the Foreign Office was overworked in preparing them.
On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that his government was preparing to impose sanctions on both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
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