Australia, along with the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway have imposed Magnitsky-style sanctions on Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.
These ministers have been sanctioned for their role in inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Since October 2023, Israeli military demolitions and settler violence have displaced more than 6,400 Palestinians in the West Bank. Ben-Gvir instructed police not to enforce the law against violent settlers, an Israeli investigative journalist reported.
These are Australia’s first sanctions placed on senior Israeli officials. In November 2023, in response to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel, the Australian government imposed sanctions on Hamas and some of its affiliates. In July 2024, the government sanctioned seven Israeli settlers and one entity for their involvement in attacks on Palestinians. Until now, however, the Australian government has not sanctioned additional Israeli individuals or entities, despite mounting abuses on the West Bank. It has also not adopted measures in response to atrocities being committed in Gaza.
Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry and sits on the security cabinet, has called for ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip. In May, he said that an Israeli victory means Gaza will be “completely destroyed and its Palestinian population will leave in great numbers to third countries,” even if the hostages are released. Last month, Ben-Gvir stated that Israel must “encourage the migration of Gazans to countries around the world.”
These sanctions suggest that Australia is willing to play a stronger role, but further measures are urgently needed. Israeli authorities continue to use starvation as a method of war, flouting three rounds of provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. Australia should sanction additional Israeli officials implicated in grave abuses and ban trade with illegal West Bank settlements.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for serious crimes in Gaza. But in February, after US President Donald Trump’s executive order authorized sanctions targeting the ICC, Australia did not join the 79 countries that reaffirmed their “unwavering support” for the court. Australia should publicly back the ICC and commit to executing all pending warrants.
At a time when senior officials as well as military forces are undermining international law, the Australian government should be using its leverage to prevent further mass atrocities and hold those responsible accountable.
