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06/09/2026 June 9, 2026 Western nations condemn Israeli settler violence in West Bank The UN says Israel is 'primarily responsible' for settler violence in the
06/09/2026 June 9, 2026 Western nations condemn Israeli settler violence in West Bank The UN says Israel is 'primarily responsible' for settler violence in the West Bank Image: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images The United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada and Norway said Tuesday that they have issued joint sanctions against "individuals and entities involved in financing and enabling" settler violence in the occupied West Bank. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers from the five countries said the coordinated action would hold extremist Israeli settlers accountable for the deteriorating situation in the West Bank.
"These sanctions will disrupt the flows of finance that have allowed extremist settler groups to act with impunity in the West Bank and demonstrate the UK’s commitment to a two-state solution," British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said. Israeli military operations and Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied territory has risen sharply since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, the incident that triggered Israel's war in Gaza. The five countries also warned that they were prepared to take further action if the Israeli government failed to address the violence.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that France had also barred Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with four leaders of settler groups and 21 settlers, from entering the country. "Bezalel Smotrich actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank, which he openly claims, the creation of new settlements in the West Bank, the recolonization of Gaza, the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority, and its deleterious consequences on the Palestinian population: this is a policy that the overwhelming majority of the international community cannot accept, firmly committed to the two-State solution," Barrot said.
In response, Israel's foreign ministry said it "firmly rejects the disgraceful measures."
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