Politics & Diplomacy
Israeli finance minister demands expulsion of British ambassador
Image credit: Shehab Wire (EN)
TOP News Brief
The Newsdesk gathers reporting from wire services and primary sources and rewrites every story in-house before publication. How our journalism is made →
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich escalated tensions with Britain, calling for the immediate expulsion of the British ambassador, Shehab Wire reported. The inflammatory demand preceded London's announcement of economic sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich's statement intensified an already strained relationship between Israel's government and the United Kingdom over settlement expansion and Israeli activities in Palestinian territories. The financial measures Britain prepared to impose represent a rare instance of Western economic pressure on Israeli settlement policy, a move that prompted the sharp response from the finance minister.
.jpg?width=640)
