Bank of Israel stated that cryptocurrency cannot be used to bypass international sanctions, directly contradicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's earlier proposal to leverage blockchain technology as a hedge against potential banking restrictions. The central bank emphasized that maintaining economic relations with major trading partners remains the best strategy for Israel's economy and avoiding sanctions impact is a political-level responsibility. Officials across Israel's economic ministries separately confirmed they were unaware of any such crypto-based sanctions-evasion plan, further distancing the government's financial apparatus from Netanyahu's suggestion.