New Zealand has joined Australia, Canada, the UK, and Norway in imposing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians, according to Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
These bans will prevent Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering New Zealand.
“Our action today is not directed against the Israeli people, who have suffered greatly since October 7 and continue to endure hardship due to Hamas’ ongoing refusal to release all hostages. It is also not intended to penalize the broader Israeli government.
“Instead, these travel bans specifically target two individuals who are using their positions of power to actively undermine peace and security, thereby diminishing the prospects for a two-state solution.”
New Zealand has long been an advocate for the two-state solution. However, Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have significantly undermined this effort by actively promoting the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while also inciting violence and forced displacement.
New Zealand has consistently maintained that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories violate international law. Such settlements and the violence that accompanies them jeopardize the possibility of achieving a viable two-state solution.
According to Peters, the targeted sanctions announced today align with New Zealand's stance on other foreign policy matters.
"New Zealand has previously imposed travel bans on politicians and military leaders who promote violence or threaten democracy in various countries, including Russia, Belarus, and Myanmar."
Peters states that the international community largely supports the establishment of a future Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution.
"The situation in Gaza has intensified the need to resume a meaningful political dialogue. New Zealand will persist in its efforts to end the ongoing conflict and urgently revive the Middle East Peace Process."
