Secretary of State Marco Rubio has just condemned in a big way five countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia, for sanctioning two Israeli cabinet members for “repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”, according to Reuters.

I’ve read a couple of articles so far and I’ve yet to see exactly what they did that was so egregious that it would warrant these kind of sanctions. I read in one article that they were against bringing aid into Gaza. They also believe Gaza should be permanently conquered and Israeli settlers allowed to live there again. But beyond that, I’m really not sure what they did.

In any event, here’s what Rubio had to say:

The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.

We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is.

The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.