Baba UmarWashington, DC — The US has called decision of UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway to sanction two Israeli ministers "as extremely unhelpful", saying Washington remains concerned about any step that would further isolate Israel from the international community.
"We find that extremely unhelpful. It will do nothing to get us closer to a ceasefire in Gaza. This, again, is about allied sanctions against Israeli ministers. They should focus on the real culprit, which is Hamas," US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told media on Tuesday.
Bruce was reacting to the statements of the countries that Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will be subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich "have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights", the Foreign Ministers of the five countries said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
"These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now — to hold those responsible to account," they added.
Smotrich and Ben Gvir, key figures in Netanyahu's coalition government, have faced scrutiny for their rigid stance on the Gaza war and remarks on illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich, who lives in occupied West Bank settlement, supports the expansion of illegal settlements and has increasingly called for the annexation of Palestinian territory.
Last month, he said Gaza would be "entirely destroyed" and that civilians would "start to leave in great numbers to third countries".
Ben-Gvir has also called for Palestinians in Gaza to be expelled from the besieged territory.
The measures see the five countries break from Israel's closest ally, the United States.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
Bruce expressed dismay at the decision and urged the allies to support aid distribution by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-led initiative backed by Israel in Israeli-occupied zones.
"If our allies want to help, they should focus on supporting special envoy (Steve) Witkoff's negotiations and backing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHZ) when it comes to food and aid," she said.
The mechanism of GHF has been opposed by the international community and the UN, which came as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass the aid distribution through UN channels.
More than 130 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 1,000 wounded by Israeli forces while attempting to access food from aid sites since the GHF programme began on May 27. At least nine people are still missing.
When asked to comment on remarks from Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, in which he said the US is no longer pursuing the goal of an independent Palestinian state, Bruce said "I'm not going to begin a conversation speculating based on a statement Ambassador Huckabee, may or may not have made."
According to an interview with Bloomberg News released on Tuesday, Huckabee said "I don't think" Palestinian state is US policy goal.
Huckabee, ex-Arkansas governor and a pro-Israel conservative, was selected by President Donald Trump as his envoy to Israel.
"Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there's no room for it," Huckabee was quoted as saying. Those probably won't happen "in our lifetime," he told the news agency.
Huckabee's comments are seen as a clear departure from established US Middle East diplomacy.
