Auckland, June 11 -- New Zealand has joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in placing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.

The bans will prevent Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from travelling to New Zealand.

"Our action today is not against the Israeli people, who suffered immeasurably on October 7 and who have continued to suffer through Hamas' ongoing refusal to release all hostages. Nor is it designed to sanction the wider Israeli government.

"Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state sol...