Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday defiantly dismissed sanctions placed on him the previous day by Britain and other Western countries.
“What am I going to do now with all my assets in Britain and bank accounts in New Zealand?” Smotrich said, speaking in the Knesset plenum. “Thank God, I have no assets either in Israel or abroad. I have no interest in visiting these antisemitic countries anyway, so these sanctions don’t concern me.”
Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand sanctioned Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday over what British Foreign Minister David Lammy described as “monstrous” rhetoric and policies regarding Gaza, and accusing them of inciting Jewish violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. The measures include a travel ban and a freezing of any assets they have in those countries.
“These are not personal sanctions — they’re an attempt to pressure Israel to stop the war, to surrender, to commit suicide by allowing a terror state to rise beside us. We will not allow that. We stand as a fortified wall against this,” Smotrich insisted.