However, targeting these two for their vile incitement of violence against Palestinians is the bare minimum Aotearoa could muster. Given the staggering scale of Israel’s atrocities, bolder action is urgently needed to try and stop this blood-soaked crisis.
Yesterday, 1 News reported:
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the pair have used their leadership positions to advocate for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, undermining the two state solution supported by New Zealand.
The pair are banned from travelling to New Zealand.
“Our action today is not against the Israeli people, who suffered immeasurably on October 7 and who have continued to suffer through Hamas’ ongoing refusal to release all hostages," Peters said in a statement.
"Nor is it designed to sanction the wider Israeli government.
“Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sanctions, and said they did not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring hostages home and end the war.
Let's get real. These two monsters were never going to travel to New Zealand. So the sanctions from Winston Peters are completely performative. The unhinged reactions from Israel and the United States, coupled with the pitifully narrow scope of these measures, expose a gutless global response to a government hell-bent on entrenching apartheid and settler-colonialism. If the western world is serious about justice, sanctions on all Israeli politicians are long overdue.
Let’s not kid ourselves: Ben-Gvir and Smotrich aren’t rogue players, they’re the ugly face of an Israeli government that thrives on violence and displacement. Smotrich, as Finance Minister, has bankrolled the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, while Ben-Gvir, National Security Minister, has egged on settler attacks and regularly calls for Palestinian expulsion.
Their actions aren’t anomalies; they’re the blueprint of a state that’s killed over 53,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, mostly women and children, and displaced 8,000 in the West Bank while murdering 700, according to UN figures. This is state-sponsored terror, not a few bad apples.
Here are just a few of Itamar Ben-Gvir's violence inciting statements:
- June 2023: “In this government, we have killed 120 Palestinians in the last six months, and there will be more in the future. The public expects us to do more, and we have the capacity to meet those expectations.”
- August 2023: “A Jew who defends himself and others from murder by Palestinians is not a murder suspect, but a hero who will get full backing from me.”
- February 2024: “We cannot have women and children getting close to the border... anyone who gets near must get a bullet in the head.”
- April 2024: “Why are there so many arrests? Can’t you kill some? Do you want to tell me they all surrender? What are we to do with so many arrested? It’s dangerous for the soldiers.”
- April 2024: Applying the death penalty to Palestinian detainees who are “terrorists” is the “right” solution to tackle the problem of prison overcrowding.
- July 2024: “Prisoners should be shot in the head instead of being given more food. Until then, we will give them minimal food to survive. I do not care about this.”
- March 2025: “Annihilate, smash, eradicate, erase, crush, shatter, burn, be cruel, punish, ruin, crush. Annihilate!”
Israel’s response to the sanctions was predictable. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called them “outrageous” and “scandalous,” while Smotrich bragged about sabotaging Palestinian statehood. The US, ever the loyal enabler, had Secretary of State Marco Rubio decry the sanctions as “extremely unhelpful,” whining that they derail ceasefire talks.
This is rich coming from a nation that’s funnelled billions in military "aid" to Israel while it bombs Gaza to dust. The United State’s blind defence, fixating on Hamas as the sole villain, conveniently sidesteps Israel’s systematic violations of international law, as confirmed by the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 ruling.
Here are a few of Bezalel Smotrich's disgusting statements as well:
- March 2023: “The Palestinian people are an invention from the past century. There is no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people.”
- June 2023: “We must kill thousands of Palestinians.”
- November 2023: “When they say that Hamas needs to be eliminated, it also means those who sing, those who support and those who distribute candy, all of these are terrorists.”
- January 2024: “The war with Hamas presented an opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza.”
- January 2025: “Sooner or later, we will erase the smile on their [Palestinian] faces and turn it into screaming for the breakdown of those who remained alive. The Palestinians are animals who love death and dance for the destruction of their life.”
- February 2025: “Removing Palestinians from Gaza is the only solution that will bring peace and security to Israel.”
For New Zealand, these sanctions are the bare minimum…a token gesture when we should be throwing our weight behind real accountability. The UN General Assembly’s November 2024 vote for sanctions against Israel, the first in 42 years, shows the world’s patience is wearing thin. It also shows that Israel’s propaganda about antisemitism is no longer working.
Targeting just two ministers is like putting a plaster on a gaping wound. The entire Israeli cabinet, led by the butcher Benjamin Netanyahu, is complicit in policies that the UN and ICJ have deemed illegal. Sanctioning only Ben-Gvir and Smotrich largely lets the rest off the hook to carry on with their systemic human rights abuses.
Aotearoa needs to step up. If we’re serious about stopping the conflict escalating, we must push for comprehensive sanctions on all Israeli politicians enabling the fascist Israeli regime. A military embargo, as demanded by 52 states at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League summit, would hit where it hurts. Freezing assets, banning travel, and severing economic ties with Israel’s government. This would send a clear signal that Israel and the United States would have difficulty ignoring.
New Zealand has a moral duty to lead, not just tag along dragging its heels. Recognising Palestine, expelling Israel’s ambassador and backing the International Criminal Court are steps we should’ve taken yesterday.
The tantrums from a few politicians mean nothing when Israel has continued to murder innocent Palestinians, around more since the sanctions were announced. These sanctions might sting, but they’re a pinprick when a sledgehammer is needed. The free world needs to sanction the whole rotten apparatus. New Zealand’s current move is the least we could do…now it’s time to do more.