Tel Aviv, July 21 (RHC)-- Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has reacted to reports that the White House had discussed sanctioning him and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying it is “politically motivated”, according to The Times of Israel.

“This is an unfortunate decision that stems from the internal political needs of those who claim to lead the largest democracy in the world and operate with distinctly anti-democratic tools against a brave partner who is the only democracy in the Middle East,” he said in a statement cited by the daily.

Boasting his activities on behalf of the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Smotrich said he was proud of his efforts “to prevent the establishment of a terrorist state that would endanger the existence of the State of Israel, and I am ready to pay any price for that”, the report said.

He was also quoted as saying that imposing sanctions on a minister in the Israeli government “constitutes a fatal injury to Israeli sovereignty and relations between the countries and this will have serious consequences in many areas”.

“I discussed this with the prime minister and things will be clarified in a way that is not ambiguous,” he warned, according to the report.