Overview
- France has begun coordinating with other countries, including Britain and Norway, to pursue national sanctions aimed at individuals linked to violence in the West Bank.
- Proposed measures would focus on asset freezes and travel bans and have not been finalised so lists of targets may differ by country.
- Diplomats say the shift to national action follows a failure to reach tougher measures at EU level and builds on earlier EU steps that targeted some settlers and groups.
- French officials warn that sanctions could extend to companies and organisations that supply or support extremist settlers who carry out attacks and property destruction.
- Israel has rejected recent sanctions as politically motivated, and France will host a meeting in Paris to bring Israeli and Palestinian civil society and foreign ministers together to keep the issue on the international agenda.