Overview
- On Tuesday, six governments — the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand and Norway — announced coordinated sanctions aimed at networks accused of financing, enabling and carrying out violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
- Sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans and, where applicable, director disqualifications intended to disrupt the flows of money and logistics that back settler outposts and farms.
- The UK added six entities and one individual to its list and issued new official guidance that advises businesses against economic and financial activity in settlements it regards as illegal under international law.
- France separately barred Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and extended travel bans to settler leaders and dozens of settlers, while Israel condemned the measures as politicised and rejected the actions.
- Rights groups and Palestinian advocates say the steps are a limited first move that leave senior Israeli officials and state policies untouched, and the sanctioning governments have warned they may impose further penalties if Israel does not curb settlement expansion and settler violence.