The letter, which was signed by 17 Democratic senators and 71 Democratic members of the House of Representatives, accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of undermining security in the West Bank. Although alarmed by their actions, Biden opposes sanctioning democratically elected officials in allied states, Axios reported.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU foreign policy chef Josep Borrell have, too, suggested imposing sanctions on Israeli ministers who incite war crimes with their remarks.
In August, Smotrich said that Israel would be right to block humanitarian access to Gaza to secure the release of Israeli hostages even if this meant that 2 million Palestinians would starve to death. On August 13, Ben Gvir urged not to negotiate with Hamas over Gaza but rather to pursue a military solution.