Exclusive: UK condemns 'abhorrent' Ben Gvir comments on killing Palestinians

The British government has condemned recent remarks made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calling for the killing of "30-40" Palestinians in Gaza every night as "abhorrent" and "dehumanising", in comments to Middle East Eye.

Ben Gvir said earlier this week that "I think we should carry out targeted assassinations in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night," adding "not just those who pose an immediate threat.

"There are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people," he continued.

MEE put these remarks to the British Foreign Office, along with further remarks by Ben Gvir boasting about the construction of a facility intended for the execution of Palestinian prisoners.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told MEE: "These remarks are abhorrent. Dehumanising language and calls for violence from an Israeli government minister are unacceptable and serve only to further inflame an already catastrophic situation."

The spokesperson continued: "We continue to call on the Israeli government to take action against those whose rhetoric fuels violence and to clamp down on settler violence."

Ben Gvir is already the subject of British sanctions for inciting violence against Palestinians, along with another Israeli minister, Bezalel Smotrich.

“The foreign secretary has been clear that the UK will work tirelessly to seek a sustainable peace in Israel and Palestine, including an end to the terrible suffering of the people of Gaza and security for the people of Israel and Palestine," the spokesperson said.

Last week MEE reported that Andy Burnham's government is poised to announce a raft of new policies on Israel in September, including a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in particular is pushing for stronger measures and has been consulting a range of civil society organisations, MEE understands.

Miliband said on Wednesday that the government would announce "measures" against Israel over new settlement construction east of Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two.

He warned that the project – tenders for which were opened this week – poses a threat to a two-state solution in the region.

Miliband indicated that he made it clear to the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, that the "Israeli government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion".

"The impact of settler violence and terrorism has been catastrophic for Palestinian communities. Settlement expansion and attempts to create irreversible divisions on the ground threaten peace, security and the prospects for a viable Palestinian state," he said.

Israel issued a tender on Tuesday for the construction of 1,234 settlement units in the southern part of the E1 plan east of occupied Jerusalem, moving one of the most controversial settlement schemes from the approval and planning stage towards land marketing and practical implementation.