The United Kingdom has issued a sharp rebuke of extreme, violence-inciting comments from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, labeling his calls for the nightly targeted killing of 30 to 40 Palestinians in Gaza as “abhorrent” and “dehumanizing” in an exclusive statement to independent news outlet Middle East Eye (MEE).
In public remarks made earlier this week, Ben Gvir not only advocated for mass nightly assassinations in Gaza, he expanded the scope of his call to include Palestinians who do not pose an immediate security threat. “There are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people,” the far-right Israeli cabinet minister added. He also openly boasted about constructing a purpose-built facility to execute Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, claims MEE brought to the attention of the British Foreign Office for comment.
A senior Foreign Office spokesperson responded to MEE’s inquiry making clear that the UK views language that dehumanizes an entire people and open calls for violence from a sitting Israeli government minister as completely unacceptable. “These remarks… serve only to further inflame an already catastrophic situation,” the spokesperson added. The UK is calling on the Israeli government to take formal action against ministers who use rhetoric that fuels intercommunal violence, and to crack down on rising violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the occupied territories.
This is not the first time Ben Gvir has faced British repercussions for his anti-Palestinian incitement: he is already one of two sitting Israeli cabinet ministers, alongside far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to be sanctioned by the UK for inciting violence against Palestinians. The spokesperson reaffirmed the UK’s ongoing commitment to working toward a long-term sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, including an urgent end to the widespread humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza and equal security for all people living in the region.
The condemnation of Ben Gvir comes as the UK government prepares to roll out a package of new policy measures targeting Israeli settlement activity in September, MEE has previously reported. Senior UK officials, particularly Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, are pushing for stronger punitive action, and Miliband has held extensive consultations with civil society groups to shape the upcoming policies. One of the most anticipated measures is a ban on imports of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land.
Miliband publicly confirmed this week that the UK will announce formal measures against Israel over its latest settlement expansion plan in the E1 corridor, a strategically sensitive area east of Jerusalem that, if fully developed, would cut the occupied West Bank geographically in half and make the creation of a contiguous, independent Palestinian state impossible.
On Tuesday, Israeli authorities opened public tenders for the construction of 1,234 new settlement housing units in the southern portion of the E1 plan, moving one of the most controversial and long-delayed settlement projects out of the planning phase and into active implementation. Miliband said he directly conveyed to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar that the Israeli government must immediately halt the E1 development, withdraw the construction tender, and end all settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank.
“The impact of settler violence and terrorism has been catastrophic for Palestinian communities. Settlement expansion and attempts to create irreversible divisions on the ground threaten peace, security and the prospects for a viable Palestinian state,” Miliband said.