Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the reversal of sanctions imposed on two Israeli ministers by five nations.

“The United States condemns the sanctions imposed,” Rubio said in a statement. “These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.”

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Rubio urged the nations to not “forget who the real enemy is,” referring to the terrorist organization Hamas. 

“The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel,” Rubio said.

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway imposed sanctions on Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich over accusations that the pair “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.

Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have called for the resettlement of Jews in Gaza and the West Bank, geographical zones which are currently being occupied by Palestinians.

“Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous,” the countries said in a statement. 

The pair is also accused of ruining the United Kingdom’s talks to establish a two-state solution. They face asset freezes and travel bans. 

However, the nations say the imposed sanctions on the two ministers do not negate their efforts to work with Israel in reaching a cease-fire agreement with Hamas. 

“Our action today is not against the Israeli people, who suffered immeasurably on October 7 and who have continued to suffer through Hamas’s ongoing refusal to release all hostages,” New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement. “Nor is it designed to sanction the wider Israeli government.”

UK, CANADA, NORWAY AND OTHERS BAN TWO ISRAELI MINISTERS, FREEZE ASSETS OVER GAZA COMMENTS

500,000 Israeli settlers live in over 100 settlements across the West Bank. The settlements are deemed by Palestinians as a major hurdle in their efforts to seek a two-state solution. 

The sanctions imposed on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir come weeks after the United Kingdom ended its free trade talks with Israel due to its military attacks in Gaza.