LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Australia, Britain, Canada, France, New Zealand and Norway have jointly imposed sanctions on individuals and entities accused of supporting or carrying out violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The coordinated measures, announced on June 9, target networks accused of financing, facilitating and participating in attacks on Palestinian communities. The move marks one of the most significant collective actions by Western allies against Israeli settler violence in recent years.
In a joint statement, the six countries said violent settlers had continued to attack Palestinians with little accountability.
“Extremist violent settlers, with the backing of their supporters, continue to attack Palestinians and abuse their human rights. For too long, violent settlers have been able to act with near impunity,” the foreign ministers said.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra had expanded its sanctions by imposing financial restrictions and travel bans on three individuals and four entities.
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“Settler violence is used to displace Palestinians and perpetuate the settlement enterprise through destruction of property, displacement of families, beatings, sexual assault and torture, resulting in serious injuries and deaths,” Wong said in a statement.
France also announced additional measures, including a ban preventing Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering French territory. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the decision was linked to Smotrich’s public support for the annexation of the West Bank and other controversial positions.
The latest sanctions also target several farming outposts and a construction company alleged to have been involved in attacks on Palestinians. Australian authorities described some of the outposts as centres used to facilitate settler violence.
Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq welcomed the sanctions but argued they did not go far enough.
“The joint statement… falls far short of recognising the legal obligations upon Third States,” the organisation said.
Amnesty International also criticised Israel’s actions in the West Bank, accusing the government of pursuing policies aimed at expanding control over Palestinian territory.
According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, about 30,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the northern West Bank since the launch of Israel’s Operation Iron Wall.
