Against the backdrop of sanctions on government ministers, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar refused to accept a call Tuesday from his British counterpart David Lammy. Israel Hayom learned that throughout Tuesday, Lammy sought to coordinate a call with Sa'ar, but the Israeli foreign minister was clear that he would not accept the call. This followed the British foreign secretary's moves against Israel and particularly his announcement of sanctions against Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir.
The imposition of sanctions on serving ministers was condemned across the government from wall to wall and even opposition figures like Benny Gantz, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio overnight.
In an X post, Rubio wrote: "The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel."
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Already Monday night, Israel discovered Britain's intention to impose the sanctions, and by Tuesday morning this became an established fact. The Foreign Ministry had been monitoring this planned British step with concern for a month, when several weeks ago Lammy announced the freezing of negotiations for a free trade agreement with Israel.
It turns out this is not the end of the story from the British perspective. As with France's diplomatic efforts to advance a peace conference, this appears to be just another step toward escalation in relations between the countries. Israel recognizes this as planned pressure to bring Israel to stop the Gaza war and as part of additional moves that may be implemented soon.
