UK, France And Allies Target Israeli Settlers With New Sanctions Over West Bank Violence

A coalition of six Western countries —Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Norway and New Zealand—has expanded coordinated sanctions targeting Israeli settlers, organisations and financial networks linked to violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

The joint action represents a broader escalation of diplomatic pressure amid growing concern over settler violence, settlement expansion and policies seen as undermining a Palestinian state .

Foreign ministers said extremist settler groups have carried out repeated attacks on Palestinians with “near impunity,” while settlement expansion and outpost development continue with government backing. They warned these actions are worsening instability and eroding prospects for peace.

France confirmed it has imposed a travel ban on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich , accusing him of promoting annexation and accelerating settlement expansion policies. Paris also barred four settler organisation leaders and 21 settlers linked to violence from entering its territory.

The United Kingdom said it has imposed sanctions on six entities and individuals involved in financing or enabling settler violence , including a construction company and financial intermediaries . Measures include asset freezes, travel bans and restrictions aimed at disrupting funding networks supporting settlement activity.

Other participating nations introduced parallel restrictions targeting individuals and organisations accused of incitement, funding violence or facilitating illegal settlement expansion. Officials also signalled tighter guidance discouraging businesses from engaging with settlement-linked operations.

The sanctions are widely seen as part of a shift from symbolic condemnation to coordinated national enforcement measures , partly driven by limited consensus within the European Union on stronger collective action.

Israel strongly rejected the measures, calling them “disgraceful” and counterproductive , and warning they could deepen extremism rather than reduce violence. Israeli officials also claimed the sanctions risked undermining diplomatic engagement.

The move follows previous EU sanctions on both Hamas-linked individuals and Israeli settler organisations , reflecting widening international concern over escalating violence and territorial expansion in the occupied territories.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas captured in 1967 and widely regarded under international law as occupied territory central to any future peace settlement.