Overview
- A joint package of sanctions was announced Tuesday by France, the UK, Canada, Australia and Norway targeting individuals and groups tied to settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
- France separately said it will bar Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering its territory and has listed four settler leaders plus 21 alleged violent settlers for bans or restrictions.
- The joint statement accuses extremist settlers of attacks, displacement and illegal colonization and says some acts occur with support or protection from Israeli security forces.
- Israel condemned the measures as politically motivated and "shameful" in an official response, while the sanctioning states warned they stand ready to impose further penalties if Israel does not act.
- The move updates earlier travel bans from June 2025 and comes against sustained West Bank violence since October 2023, a trend Western governments say undermines Palestinian civilian safety and the prospects for a two‑state solution.