The United Kingdom and other Western allies have imposed sanctions on two hardline Israeli government ministers for “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities” in the West Bank, Britain’s foreign office announced Tuesday.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will face a travel ban and an asset freeze in the UK, the government said.

Ben Gvir and Smotrich both lead far-right political parties that help keep Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile government coalition afloat. Both men have faced criticism for their inflammatory comments about the occupied West Bank as well as their positions on the war in Gaza.

The sanctions are being jointly implemented by the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, according to a joint statement by the countries’ foreign ministers.

“We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion,” the joint statement said.

“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous,” the statement added. “We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity.”

While the sanctions are in relation to the West Bank, the Western allies’ statement added that “of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid.”

Smotrich and Ben Gvir both live in settlements in the West Bank, which Palestinians and the vast majority of the international community hold as part of a future Palestinian state.

Ben Gvir, the leader of the Jewish Power party, reacted to the move Tuesday afternoon, saying that “the sanctions do not scare me.” He added: “I will continue to act for our country, for our people, I will continue to act and make sure that they do not let humanitarian aid into Hamas.”

Smotrich said Tuesday that he “heard that Britain has decided to impose sanctions on me because I’m thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

“Britain already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not let it happen again. With God’s help, we are determined to continue building,” said Smotrich, who leads the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The European Union announced a new package of sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, saying that Moscow’s daily deadly attacks against Ukraine show that it is not interested in peace – despite recent diplomatic efforts.

The new package – the 18th since Russia launched its full-scale unprovoked invasion against its neighbor in 2022 – is designed to further target the Kremlin’s ability to make money from its oil and gas production.

The proposal includes lowering the price cap on Russian oil exports from $60 to $45 per barrel and introducing a full transaction ban on Russian banks and financial institutions in third countries that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions.

The EU said it is also proposing a ban on the use of Russian energy infrastructure, forbidding any EU operator from engaging directly or indirectly in any transactions that involve the Nord Stream pipelines.

The new package will need to be approved by the EU’s 27 member states. That could be complicated given previous concerns raised by some more pro-Kremlin governments, such as Hungary and Slovakia, about further sanctions targeting Russia.

While both those countries have previously threatened to block new rounds of sanctions, so far they have ultimately voted in favor of them.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the sanctions were necessary “because strength is the only language that Russia will understand.”

“We want peace for Ukraine. Despite weeks of diplomatic attempts, despite (Ukraine’s) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky’s offer of an unconditional ceasefire, Russia continues to bring death and destruction to Ukraine. Russia’s goal is not peace, it is to impose the rule of might. Therefore, we are ramping up pressure on Russia,” von der Leyen said at a news conference in Brussels.

The leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland last month told Russian leader Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire or face possible “massive” sanctions. Putin ignored the ultimatum, proposing instead “direct talks” between Moscow and Kyiv.

But two rounds of talks in Istanbul, Turkey, have made it clear Russia is sticking to its maximalist demands that would essentially equate to Ukraine’s capitulation.

Targeting Russian energy

Explaining why the EU has targeted Russia’s energy sector, the Commission chief said oil exports still represent one third of Russian government revenues.

“We need to cut this source of revenue,” she said.

The oil price cap was introduced by the EU and G7 countries in December 2022.

The cap, which applies to Russia’s seaborne oil exports, prohibits Western companies from providing shipping, insurance and other services needed to export the fuel unless it is priced below the threshold.

By enforcing a price cap, the EU and its allies have tried to diminish a key source of revenue for the Kremlin while still allowing its oil to flow to the global energy market – because cutting Russia’s supplies completely could destabilize the market and cause prices to shoot up.

Von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the price cap needs lowering because global oil prices had fallen since the cap was first introduced and now trade “very close” to the $60 level.

The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has dropped 18% since the price cap on Russian crude took effect on December 5, 2022. It was trading at almost $68 a barrel late morning Eastern Time (ET) on Tuesday.

The bloc also wants to harden sanctions on Russia’s banking sector. Shortly after the invasion, the United States, EU, Britain and Canada jointly banned some Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging service – a high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world. That has made it far more difficult for those banks to send and receive money from abroad.

Now, the Commission wants to go a step further and prevent any EU operator, such a a business, from conducting a transaction with a list of sanctioned Russian banks. It also plans to add another 22 of Moscow’s banks to that list. Additionally, the bloc wants to extend the transaction ban to financial institutions in third countries that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions.

Von der Leyen said the latest package of sanctions will also broaden the current ban on materials and technologies that can be exported to Russia, adding: “We want to make sure that Russia does not find ways to modernize its weapons with European technologies.”

The sanctions will also include new measures against 22 Russian and foreign companies providing direct or indirect support to Russia’s military and industrial complex.

France said it has received a letter from the Palestinian Authority that contains “concrete and unprecedented commitments” to reform as Paris prepares to co-chair a conference on Palestinian statehood in New York.

“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces, which will oversee their removal outside the occupied Palestinian territory, with Arab and international support,” the Élysée Palace cited Abbas as writing.

The letter France says it received comes as anticipation builds around whether President Emmanuel Macron might recognize the State of Palestine at a summit next week aimed at building support for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations. France is co-chairing the summit with Saudi Arabia.

France said Abbas pledged to organize presidential and general elections within a year in order to “rejuvenate the Palestinian governance.”

Abbas, 89, is deeply unpopular among Palestinians. He has led the PA since the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004 and has clung to power despite being seen by critics as lacking democratic legitimacy. Proposals put forth by Arab states for a post-war Gaza have excluded Hamas from governance and called for the reformation of the PA.

The Guardian reported on Saturday that France may be retreating from its plan. The conference “has weakened its ambition and will instead hope to agree on steps towards recognition,” The Guardian said, citing diplomats, adding that “French officials briefing their Israeli counterparts this week reassured them the conference will not be the moment for recognition.”

“We can clearly see that some have an interest in suggesting that we are not moving in the direction of recognition. That is false,” the source said Tuesday, adding that “we are determined to recognize a Palestinian state in order to create the conditions for the state’s existence.”

The source highlighted the importance of the upcoming conference at the UN.

“Recognizing Palestinian statehood is consistent with France’s position in support of the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people,” the source said. “As part of the June 18 conference, it must contribute meaningfully to the momentum behind implementing the two-state solution, based on the principles reaffirmed by the President of the Republic.”

France would be the most prominent Western country to recognize Palestinian statehood. Last year, Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized the State of Palestine in a move that provoked backlash from Israel.

A series of explosions were reported in the Colombian city of Cali on Tuesday morning.

The city’s mayor, Alejandro Eder, said authorities were “responding to two explosive devices in our city: one at the Meléndez police station and another at the Manuela Beltrán CAI.”

“Our law enforcement officers are already on site, and health teams are on standby for any eventuality,” the mayor stated on social media.

Several people were injured in the explosions, the sources said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.