Today, the Canadian government, alongside our allies in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, announced sanctions against far-right extremist Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir for inciting violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In addition to their roles in fuelling violence, both ministers have actively opposed a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Minister Ben-Gvir himself stated: “In the last year, using our political power, we managed to prevent this [hostage release] deal from going ahead, time after time.”

Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are vocal opponents of a two-state solution, which envisions a secure Jewish state of Israel alongside an independent Palestinian state, a solution supported by the majority of Canadian Jews. In 2024, Minister Smotrich declared: “My life’s mission is to build the Land of Israel and thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

In November 2024, JSpaceCanada launched a campaign, joined by hundreds of Canadian Jews, calling on the Canadian government to take precisely this step. We saw similar efforts from our friends in the UK at Yachad and in the US at J Street.

“We are heartened to see that our voices matter to this Canadian government, and that we are continuing to build our political power,” said Maytal Kowalski, Executive Director of JSpaceCanada. “We continue to demonstrate that the Canadian Jewish community is not a monolith. Our voices must be heard, not only because every facet of our community deserves representation, but because the words and actions of these extremist ministers are an affront to our Jewish and Zionist values.”

We commend the Canadian government for its clear condemnation of Hamas’s actions on October 7, and for its principled distinction between the Israeli public, the majority of whom seek an end to the war and the release of hostages, and those in the Israeli government who hold and abuse power.

As the situation in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza grows more urgent, and as global attention returns to the need for a lasting resolution, we call on the Canadian government to continue championing a two-state solution. Actions like these demonstrate a real commitment to the values Canada shares with Israel, values rooted in peace, sovereignty, and democracy.