Ireland Imposes Travel Ban on Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich Amid Israel-Palestine Conflict

Ireland has barred Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, citing their public conduct and support for policies that Irish leaders say would drive Palestinians from their land. Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the two far-right ministers had expressed positions amounting to “a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine,” marking one of Dublin’s strongest recent actions against senior Israeli officials. The decision follows repeated calls by both ministers for Israel to annex Palestinian territory and for Palestinians to be removed from Gaza, statements that have drawn criticism from human rights groups and several foreign governments.

Ireland’s justice ministry said Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan had directed immigration officials to deny entry to Ben-Gvir and Smotrich if they attempt to visit the state. Martin also pointed to the treatment of pro-Palestinian activists involved in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month, referencing video widely condemned after Ben-Gvir mocked detained activists while they were blindfolded, kneeling on the floor with their hands bound. The Irish government said those actions were part of the reasoning behind its travel ban.

Ben-Gvir, who entered government in 2022 through an alliance with Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, is a key figure in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition. Smotrich, who lives in an illegal Israeli settlement, has long advocated annexation of the occupied West Bank and has said he wants to “kill the idea” of a Palestinian state. Together, the two ministers have become central voices in the Israeli government’s hardline approach to the conflict.

Speaking at a summit in Montenegro, Martin said the pair’s conduct should also justify sanctions at the European Union level, though he acknowledged that securing agreement across the bloc could be difficult. Ireland has been among Europe’s strongest critics of Israel since the war in Gaza escalated, and in 2024 it formally recognised a Palestinian state. Israel responded by ordering the closure of its embassy in Dublin, underscoring the strained relationship between the two countries.

The travel ban adds Ireland to a growing list of European states that have moved against the ministers over their remarks and policies. Britain, Spain and Slovenia have also imposed restrictions, and France recently banned Ben-Gvir from entry. The measures reflect mounting international anger over the war in Gaza, Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank and the rhetoric of senior Israeli officials who have promoted annexation and rejected Palestinian statehood. Ireland’s decision is likely to increase pressure within Europe for further diplomatic and possibly sanctions-based action, even as divisions remain over how far the EU should go in responding to the conflict.