Israel steps up row with UK, France and Canada after sanctions threats over Gaza war

Israel on Tuesday escalated its row with the UK, France and Canada after the three countries threatened sanctions over its war in Gaza.

The three nations' leaders condemned Israel for its handling of the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave and called for an end to its devastating attacks.

Israel's Chief of Staff Maj Gen Eyal Zamir and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar condemned what they saw as statements “casting doubt on the values” of the army.

The war has killed more than 53,475 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine, as Israel continues to reject appeals to allow in significant amounts of humanitarian aid.

The UN, the US administration, Arab and EU countries, and key mediators have been calling for a ceasefire in the territory. But in recent days, those calls have been repeatedly met with Israeli government statements announcing plans to intensify the military campaign – and potentially seize more land.

“The Israeli government’s position is increasingly isolated, both from global calls and from reality,” an Arab diplomat close to the ceasefire talks told The National.

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On Monday, Israel said it had permitted five aid lorries into Gaza as it partially eased a two-month blockade that had left the territory’s population on the verge of famine. It was the first such entry since March.

Hundreds of lorries were entering Gaza each day during a ceasefire from January to March but the stockpile has run low and the blockade has resulted in shortages of food and medicine.

'Dictates from outside'

Following the Israeli announcement on aid, which the UN described as “a drop in the ocean”, the UK, France, and Canada called the action “wholly inadequate”.

They condemned the “abhorrent language” used by Israeli members of government, following comments by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said the civilian population was being moved to the south, then outside Gaza.

The three countries said they had always stood by Israel's “right to defend itself” but the latest escalation was disproportionate. They threatened Israel with “further concrete actions” that would include targeted sanctions.

Mr Saar hit back on Tuesday. “I want to tell every country, mainly those who had colonial pasts, [that] this is a proud nation, an independent nation, fighting for its existence. We will not accept any dictates from outside with regard to our national security,” he wrote on X.

Maj Gen Zamir claimed the army “operates against our enemies with a commitment to the values of the IDF, the law and international law, while fully safeguarding the security of the State of Israel and its citizens”.

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Speaking to The National, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute for Security and Zionist Strategy said sanctions by the three countries, if implemented, would mostly be economic, with some hitting the academic and cultural spheres.

“They will be hurting but not too crucial and Israel can sanction these countries back, mainly when it comes to security and intelligence,” he said.

During a trip to the Middle East last week, US President Donald Trump said people in Gaza were “starving”.

But Mr Netanyahu and other high-ranking officials have repeatedly denied the prevalence of hunger in Gaza, despite data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) which says 93 per cent of children are at critical risk of famine.

Mr Netanyahu instead said he will allow aid to enter only to appease his allies, adding that pressure on Israel was approaching a “red line”.