Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar on Tuesday denounced the United Kingdom's decision to sanction Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, calling it "outrageous."
"It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kinds of measures," Sa'ar said. "I discussed it earlier today with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision."
The remarks came during a joint statement in Jerusalem with Zambia's Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe, whom Sa'ar welcomed to "Jerusalem, our eternal capital."
Sa'ar began by offering condolences to the Zambian people following the passing of former President Edgar Lungu. "President Lungu opened Zambia's embassy in Israel. Our thoughts are with the people of Zambia and the President's family," he said.
Calling Haimbe's visit a "new stage in relations between our nations," Sa'ar recalled the long-standing ties between Israel and Zambia since its independence in 1964. "Zambia's first President, Kenneth Kaunda, formed relations with Israel and was a true friend. That spirit of friendship continues today under President Hichilema," he noted.
He praised Zambia for its stance at the International Court of Justice, stating, "I commend Zambia for its moral stance alongside Israel in the ICJ: opposing the political procedure against Israel there."
Sa'ar announced the reopening of Israel's embassy in Lusaka, which he said had been "a mistake" to close. "Now I'm fixing it," he added. "It is my honor and privilege to open a new Israeli embassy in Lusaka, Zambia's capital. I intend to come to Zambia and inaugurate the embassy in August."
He noted that the government had approved the appointment of Ofra Farhi as resident Ambassador to Zambia. "She has a strong knowledge of our relations and I'm convinced that she will succeed in her position," he said.
The ministers discussed expanding partnerships in agriculture, food security, health, and water management. Sa'ar highlighted Israeli efforts to help establish a trauma unit in a hospital in Livingston. "Israel is proud to help its friends," he said.
"Relations between our countries are not only based on common interests. They are rooted in shared values. These are relations between two nations of believers: Believers in ancient traditions based on our Bible."
He explained that strengthening ties with Zambia is part of Israel's strategy for 2025 to boost its engagement with the African continent. "In the past, relations between Israel and Africa flourished. Unfortunately, they decreased with the years. We are now changing direction," he stated.
On the hostage issue, Sa'ar reiterated Israel's commitment: "Israel is committed to bringing home all of its hostages. We discussed it in our meeting. Israel has demonstrated that commitment once again in the past week."
Referencing recent operations, he said: "In two special operations - Israeli forces returned the bodies of two Israeli hostages, Judy Weinstein and Gadi Hagai, and a Thai hostage, Nattapong Pinta."
Turning to regional threats, Sa'ar confirmed Israeli action against the Houthis: "This morning, Israeli forces attacked terror targets of the Houthis in the Hudaydah Port. The Houthis threaten the stability of the Middle East, Africa, and international shipping lanes."
Regarding the interception of the "Selfie Yacht," Sa'ar was blunt: "Greta, persona-non-greta, received food and good treatment. Israel acted in a peaceful manner. I want to be clear: These personae-non-greta will not be allowed to stay in Israel."
He dismissed the PR stunt, saying, "Greta and her friends brought in a tiny amount of aid on their 'celebrity yacht'. They did not help the people of Gaza. This was nothing but a ridiculous gimmick.
"Over 1,200 aid trucks entered Gaza from Israel within the last two weeks. Over 11 million meals were directly delivered to the civilians of Gaza by the GHF, on top of that," he concluded.