Canada has sanctioned far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir, left, and Bezalel Smotrich.Amir Cohen/Reuters
Jon Allen is a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and a former Canadian ambassador to Israel and Spain.
Canada joined four other Western countries on Tuesday (Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, but not France) in sanctioning two far-right senior ministers in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet. The two ministers represent different parties in Mr. Netanyahu’s right-of-centre coalition government and occupy key positions.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security who is responsible for the police, was so extreme in his youth that he was barred from serving in the Israeli army and was subsequently convicted of both incitement to racism and supporting terrorism. Bezalel Smotrich, the Finance Minister who has special responsibilities for the West Bank, is a self-described homophobe and proponent of a greater Israel. He has called recently for the depopulation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and for the full annexation of the West Bank. Their two parties – they merged prior to the election at the Prime Minister’s urging to ensure they would exceed the minimum percentage of votes required – hold 20 of the 67 seats in the Netanyahu coalition and are key to its stability.
In a trilateral Canadian/French/British statement three weeks ago and again this time, Canada acknowledged Israel’s right to self-defence and condemned Hamas’s brutal attack and hostage-taking on Oct. 7. At the same time, it expressed serious concerns about the expanding Israeli settlements and the ongoing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. It also criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza, including the humanitarian siege then in place for 11 weeks and the calls, including by these ministers, to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians. They said further measures would be taken if Israel failed to address their concerns.
Rather than heed the call for restraint, Israel immediately accused the three signatory countries of aiding and abetting antisemitism worldwide and, in an effort to score political points, linked their statement to the tragic deaths of two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C. Then, in a clear thumbing of its nose at the three countries, Israel announced the establishment of 22 new settlements, including some deep into the West Bank that had been declared illegal even by the Israeli Supreme Court. (All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and recognized as such by all states except the Trump administration.)
It’s also important to recall that these two ministers were directly responsible for Mr. Netanyahu’s decision in March to breach the ceasefire agreement that he had previously agreed to with Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Hamas. Even though hostages were being released, humanitarian aid had been flowing and reaching those in need, and the death and destruction in Gaza had paused, Mr. Smotrich and Mr. Ben-Gvir threatened to break up the Prime Minister’s coalition if he didn’t restart the war. Mr. Ben-Gvir actually left the coalition and if Mr. Smotrich had followed, Mr. Netanyahu likely would have faced new elections. Rather than risk that, he ended the ceasefire. Since then, only one hostage has been released (an American-Israeli as a result of U.S. pressure) while thousands of Palestinians and dozens of IDF soldiers have been killed. Moreover, and critically important, most analysts agree that there is little to gain in Gaza militarily by continuing the fight now.
Will these sanctions have any direct effect? Not likely. Neither Canada nor the other signatories would have invited the two sanctioned ministers to visit. Even their establishment Jewish communities, which resist all public criticism of Israel, have little time for these ministers and are becoming increasingly disenchanted with Mr. Netanyahu. The ministers likely don’t raise money here or have bank accounts.
That said, it is the act of sanctioning a minister in a sitting government that is significant. It sends a clear signal that racism, ethnic cleansing, the illegal annexation of territory, the withholding of humanitarian aid to 2.1 million people, and clear efforts on the ground to deny the possibility of a two-state solution, are morally unacceptable and contrary to international law. This is important, especially because historically Israel was a country with whom Canada and the other signatories to the statement have shared fundamental liberal democratic values. Something has gone very wrong in Israel and it is likely that these sanctions are just the beginning. A number of other states are now likely to join Canada and say to Mr. Netanyahu, “enough is enough.” Will it eventually force him to end the war? I hope so.