Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway say they have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face asset freezes and travel bans from the five countries. The ministers are champions of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The decision by Western governments friendly to Israel is a sharp rebuke of Israel’s settlement policies in the West Bank and of settler violence. The violence has spiked since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.

Authorities are searching for evidence after a man with a makeshift flamethrower yelled “Free Palestine” and hurled an incendiary device into a group that had assembled to raise attention for Israeli hostages in Gaza. Eight people were injured in the Sunday attack, some with burns. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was booked into the Boulder County jail north of Denver and expected to face charges in connection with the attack the FBI was investigating as a terrorist act. The burst of violence at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall unfolded against the backdrop of a war between Israel and Hamas that continues to inflame global tensions.