Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has accused Australia and four other nations of making "a grave mistake" for sanctioning him and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over their role in inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
"The British, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and Norwegians have made a grave mistake. Allies do not impose sanctions on each other, even when there are disagreements," Smotrich told the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday in his first interview since the announcement.
"This crosses a red line."
The participating countries have said that the Magnitsky-style sanctions, which impose travel bans and financial freezes on the two ministers, are "personal" and not against the Israeli government more broadly.
But Smotrich rejected that distinction, telling the Jerusalem Post that because his decisions "are made on behalf of Israel, and the state stands behind them," any move against him is akin to sanctioning the citizens he represents.
Why was Smotrich sanctioned?
The statement announcing the sanctions accused Smotrich and Ben-Gvir of inciting "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights" and referred to rhetoric the pair had engaged in advocating for "the forced displacement of Palestinians".
Although it did not offer specific examples, the pair, who are from the far-right of Israeli politics and serve as powerbrokers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, have long advocated for the creation of new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
They also have a history of making dehumanising and controversial statements about Palestinians.
In the last few weeks, Smotrich has come under direct criticism from Israel's allies, such as the UK, for repeated comments promising to "conquer" and "cleanse" the Gaza Strip.
What has Israel said about the sanctions?
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar called the sanctions "outrageous" and said his government would hold a meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the "unacceptable decision" made by the five countries.
Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said it was an "entirely unacceptable" decision.
"Serious questions must be asked about the motives behind the timing of this announcement," he said.
The move was has also been criticised by United States secretary of state Marco Rubio, who said it does not "advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire".
In an interview with the ABC, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the response from the US and Israel as "predictable" and said that while Australia supports Israel's rights to "live within secure borders", it "must comply with international concerns and international law".
