A coalition of six countries—Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Norway, and New Zealand—announced joint sanctions on Tuesday targeting Israeli settlers and settlements in the West Bank, including a hard-line Israeli cabinet minister already sanctioned by Western nations. The move escalates international pressure on Israel amid a surge of violence against Palestinians in the occupied territory.
The top diplomats of the six nations issued a joint statement condemning the actions of extremist settlers. "Extremist violent settlers, with the backing of their supporters, continue to attack Palestinians and abuse their human rights," the statement read.
"For too long, violent settlers have been able to act with near impunity, and settlement expansion and creation of outposts continue with the support and facilitation of the government of Israel."
The sanctions come as the West Bank has experienced a wave of settler violence, with assailants rarely facing punishment. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the occupied territories illegal and an obstacle to peace.
The measures are not as sweeping as those imposed on Iran or Russia, leaving broader trade, including arms sales, untouched.
Each country announced its own set of measures. France barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, along with four leaders of settler organizations and 21 settlers accused of violence.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that Smotrich is "actively promoting" the annexation of the West Bank, expansion of settlements, re-establishment of settlements in Gaza, and policies aimed at the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority. "These are policies that the overwhelming majority of the international community cannot accept," Barrot said.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the U.K. is imposing sanctions on six entities and individuals involved in financing settlements or violent acts.
"We have targeted some of the most notorious individuals, the most significant settler entities, and the extremist figures in the Israeli cabinet who are inciting these acts," she told the House of Commons.
Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the sanctions as "disgraceful measures" that "only serve to fuel antisemitism." Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka warned that the sanctions might be counterproductive, saying, "Sanctioning government entities or government-connected entities is not helping in any way. On the contrary, it is actually helping those extremists."
The coordinated plan follows new sanctions from the 27-nation European Union targeting both Hamas leaders and Israeli settler organizations and leaders. More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 from Jordan and sought by Palestinians for a future state.