10 Jun AOHR UK Resubmits Sanctions Request to UK Foreign Secretary Against Israeli Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir

London, 10 June 2025

Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK), represented by Deighton Pierce Glynn solicitors, yesterday formally resubmitted its request to the UK Foreign Secretary to impose targeted sanctions against Israeli government ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The new submission builds on AOHR’s original December 2023 request and follows the UK’s May 2025 sanctions against settler leader Daniella Weiss. The new submission presented extensive new evidence (October 2023-May 2025) of both ministers’ roles in promoting policies that violate international humanitarian and human rights law. It presented extensive new evidence (October 2023-May 2025) of both ministers’ roles in promoting policies that violate international humanitarian and human rights law, including:

• the incitement and facilitation of settler violence;
• advocacy for the forced displacement and forcible transfer of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza;
• public calls for the reoccupation of Gaza;
• the arbitrary detention and inhumane treatment of Palestinians in Israeli prisons; and
• repeated statements amounting to calls for ethnic cleansing.

AOHR UK argued that, consistent with recent UK sanctions on settler extremists, the Government must apply the same standards to Israeli government ministers, who wield far greater institutional power.

It has been reported today that UK Government has imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers over “monstrous” comments regarding Gaza, a step long called for by UK legal experts and international human rights actors.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy and other UK officials have repeatedly condemned settlement expansion and settler violence. Imposing sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir would reinforce the UK’s commitment to international law and human rights.

Mohammed Jamil of AOHR UK said:

‘We welcome this announcement which comes late in the day but is a sign that this government has started to change in their approach to the atrocities against Palestinians. This should open the door to impose further sanctions to reflect the scale of the human rights abuses being committed in Gaza. No weapons or any other assistance should be sent to Israel directly or indirectly whilst the killing of Palestinian civilians continues.’

Zubier Yazdani, Partner, was instructed by the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK). Sue Willman KC (Hon) and Ahmed Ali were instructed in respect of AOHR’s December 2023 request.

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