The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that ten European and Western countries have banned entry to two extremist Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both known for their calls for the extermination of Palestinians.

In a statement, the ministry said it is monitoring this diplomatic development and urged these countries to reconsider their decisions, which it considers "unjustified."

The countries that have taken this decision are: Britain, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, New Zealand, and France.

Ben-Gvir was banned from entering France and Ireland at the end of May after he released a video showing the mistreatment of detained activists from the "Steadfastness Flotilla." The video showed the activists kneeling with their hands tied after being intercepted at sea and detained in southern Israel, sparking international condemnation.

Several countries, including France, Spain, and Italy, have called for European sanctions against him. Judicial authorities in both Italy and France have also announced investigations against him on charges of torturing the activists. Yesterday, Ben-Gvir canceled a planned trip to New York to participate in the UN Police Chiefs Summit, amid concerns about protests against him by human rights groups and growing calls for his arrest and investigation.

According to Hebrew reports, the decision to cancel the visit came after internal security and political assessments indicated that Ben-Gvir was likely to face widespread protests in the United States, in addition to legal pressure related to calls for his prosecution over his positions and policies.

The Hind Rajab Foundation for Human Rights had previously submitted a request to the US Department of Justice to open an urgent criminal investigation against the Israeli National Security Minister and to arrest him upon his arrival in New York next month.

This legal action was supported by a comprehensive dossier of accusations prepared by the pro-Palestinian human rights organization against Ben-Gvir, which it stated was presented to the US judicial authorities as a test of Washington's commitment to international law. The organization accused Ben-Gvir of directly inciting genocide, torture, and ill-treatment since assuming his ministerial post in 2022. The request emphasized that Ben-Gvir's extreme policies toward security prisoners directly led to the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

The organization asserted that the systematic violations and crimes attributed to him also included causing physical and material harm to civilians holding American citizenship.

Meanwhile, the organization's representative in the United States, Jake Rom, stated that Ben-Gvir's arrival in the US presents an opportunity for accountability. He asked, "Is the US government more committed to Israeli impunity or to the rule of law?" He called on federal authorities not to overlook these violations and to apply the law without political exceptions.

By Watan