Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are key figures in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. The Times cited past comments by Smotrich, including a vow not to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, “not even a single grain of wheat,” and a declaration that Gaza should be “completely destroyed” and its residents relocated to third countries.
Last month, Lammy criticized the ministers in a speech to Parliament, saying Israel had entered a “new and dark phase” of the conflict. He said Netanyahu’s government was seeking to displace Gazans and restrict access to humanitarian aid.
“Minister Smotrich even spoke of Israeli forces ‘cleansing’ Gaza, destroying what remains, and transferring Palestinians to other countries,” Lammy said. “We must call this what it is: extremism. It’s dangerous, it’s repugnant, it’s monstrous, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Ben-Gvir responded to the report in a statement posted on social media, invoking a famous Zionist slogan: “Shame on the White Paper. We got through Pharaoh, we’ll get through Starmer’s wall too,” he wrote, referring to UK PM Keir Starmer. “I will continue to act for the State of Israel and the people of Israel without fear or hesitation.”
