Irish Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan imposed a travel ban on the extremist Zionists, so-called National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in the Israeli entity government, according to Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Friday that the Irish Prime Minister’s statements came during his participation in the European Union-Western Balkans Summit held in the city of Tivat in Montenegro.
According to WAFA, Martin said: “The actions and words of the two ministers amount to a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine,” adding, “We believe that additional measures need to be taken against them at the European Union level.”
He added that the international community should take this matter into consideration, and that they would seek to raise it with others. He noted that “the behavior of Ben Gvir and Smotrich justifies imposing sanctions at the European Union level as well, and that is what we will raise; whether we can secure sufficient support within the European Union is another matter.”
A spokesperson for the Irish Minister for Justice, O’Callaghan, said in a statement: “The travel ban on the two Israeli ministers was imposed after the government approved it outside of a Cabinet meeting this week.”
The statement read: “In line with the Prime Minister’s statement that Ireland will take action to prevent entry of members of the Israeli government who have played a pivotal role in fueling the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has instructed immigration staff to refuse entry to Itamar Ben Gvir, Israeli National Security Minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Finance Minister, should they attempt to enter the country.”
Earlier this week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that his country had decided to ban Ben Gvir from entering its territory, stating that the decision reflects the growing anger among many governments worldwide regarding the treatment of activists from the Global Resilience Fleet heading to Gaza. Meanwhile, Spain, France, and Italy have called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Ben Gvir.
