Six Western nations, including the UK and France, imposed coordinated sanctions on Israeli settlers over escalating West Bank violence. The measures include asset freezes and a French travel ban on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Israel rejected the sanctions as "disgraceful," while human rights groups criticized them as "inadequate" for not holding the Israeli state accountable for what Amnesty International calls a campaign of "ethnic cleansing."
Western Sanctions on Israeli Settlers
- ▪France has barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country as part of the new sanctions
- ▪The UK's official guidance now explicitly advises British businesses against economic and financial activity in illegal Israeli settlements
- ▪The sanctions include measures like asset freezes, travel bans, and director disqualifications for designated individuals and entities
- ▪The UK imposed sanctions on six entities and one individual, while Canada sanctioned two individuals and five entities
- ▪A coalition of six countries—Australia, the UK, Canada, France, Norway, and New Zealand—issued new coordinated sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank
West Bank Settler Violence
- ▪A joint statement from the sanctioning countries noted that violent settlers often act with "near impunity" and sometimes under the protection of Israel's security forces
- ▪The sanctions were imposed due to a surge in attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023
- ▪The UN documented 1,835 settler attacks against Palestinians in 2025, resulting in at least seven deaths and 832 injuries
- ▪Approximately 700,000 Jewish settlers live in about 160 settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are considered illegal under international law
Palestinian Ethnic Cleansing Escalation
- ▪Since October 7, 2023, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 1,098 Palestinians in the West Bank as of May 18, 2026, including at least 240 children
- ▪An Amnesty International report claims Israel is carrying out a state-led campaign of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank
- ▪According to UN data, at least 5,910 people in 117 Palestinian communities were forcibly displaced between January 2023 and April 2026
Criticism of Inadequate Measures
- ▪Amnesty International UK stated that targeting financing networks while leaving the "architects untouched" is not meaningful accountability
- ▪Critics argue that Western countries remain complicit by continuing to sell arms and engage in trade with Israel
- ▪Palestinian advocates and human rights groups called the new sanctions inadequate, arguing they fail to target the Israeli government for enabling settler violence
Israeli Government Rejection
- ▪Israel's foreign ministry stated that it "firmly rejects the disgraceful measures" adopted by the foreign governments
- ▪The Israeli government characterized the sanctions as a political stance on the right of Jews to settle in the Land of Israel, "camouflaged as measures against violence."
International Court Rulings
- ▪A July 2024 International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion stated that all states are obligated not to recognize or assist Israel’s illegal occupation
- ▪The International Criminal Court (ICC) has reportedly requested arrest warrants for Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir for the crime of apartheid
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