[By Guancha Observer Network, Xiong Chaoyi] Local time on June 10th, US Secretary of State Rubio released a statement to criticize the five countries including the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia for imposing sanctions on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

"These sanctions are not conducive to promoting our efforts to achieve ceasefire, bring all hostages back home and end the war," Rubio said. "The US urges the cancellation of these sanctions and stands with Israel."

Bloomberg reported on the same day that Rubio's criticism of the sanctions imposed by the five allies on two Israeli far-right cabinet members reflected the growing divergence between the US and its allies in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and their treatment of Palestinians.

Photo: Israel's Finance Minister Smotrich (right) and National Security Minister Ben Gvir, from Israeli media

On June 10th, the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia jointly issued a statement announcing sanctions against two far-right Israeli ministers. The reason was that they had repeatedly incited extreme violence against Palestinians. The sanctions include freezing assets and banning entry.

In this joint statement, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his counterparts stated that "the violence of extremist settlers and the expansion of settlements" were endangering the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. "These behaviors are unacceptable. This is why we are taking action now - to hold those responsible accountable."

The two Israeli ministers who were sanctioned insisted that they would not be intimidated, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry described these sanctions as "outrageous". Israeli Foreign Minister Saar responded that this sanction was unacceptable. The Israeli government will hold a special meeting to discuss how to respond.

Bloomberg reported that these sanctions came at a time when more Western countries, including some of Israel's biggest supporters, were openly opposing the Gaza War and Netanyahu-led Israeli government. Netanyahu's ruling coalition depends on these two far-right ministers to continue governing.

Last year, Smotrich claimed that it might be "reasonable and moral" to let the people of Gaza go hungry, while Ben Gvir earlier referred to violent settlers suspected of murdering a teenager in the West Bank as "heroes".

Currently in Europe, the governments of the UK, Germany, Netherlands and France are considering trade sanctions and arms embargoes against Israel to help end the conflict. German Chancellor Merz said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza can no longer be justified under the pretext of "counter-terrorism needs".

Although the US has supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state for decades, the new US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said, "There is no room for this unless there is some major cultural change."

In an interview with Bloomberg, Huckabee even proposed that a piece of land could be carved out from a Muslim country for the establishment of a Palestinian state instead of requiring Israel to give up space.

According to Reuters, when asked whether Huckabee's remarks represent a change in US policy, Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the US Department of State, refused to comment on June 10th and said that policy-making belongs to Trump and the White House. "I won't explain these, nor will I make any comments on them. I think his words represent himself," Bruce said.

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514603804755640843/

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