UK sanctions four Israeli settlers accused of violence

BBC News:

The UK has imposed sanctions against four “extremist” Israeli settlers it has accused of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The Foreign Office announced financial and travel restrictions against the four who it says have committed human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Lord Cameron also called on Israel to take action to end the violence.

West Bank violence has surged since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October.

At least 384 Palestinians – members of armed groups, attackers and civilians – have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, or in Israel, according to the UN.

During the same period, 10 Israelis, including four security forces personnel, have been killed.

The Foreign Office says some residents in settlements and unauthorised outposts have used harassment, intimidation and violence to put pressure on Palestinian communities to leave their land.

Approximately 700,000 Jewish people live in 160 settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and 144 outposts, according to settlements watchdog Peace Now.

The settlements were built by previous Israeli governments after Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, while the smaller outposts have been built without official authorisation.

The vast majority of the international community considers the settlements and outposts illegal under international law, though Israel and the US dispute this interpretation.

Settlers are a powerful force in Israeli politics and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government depends on their support.

But western powers fear they could trigger an escalation in this conflict and these sanctions, along with ones imposed last week by the US, serve as a warning that international patience is growing thin.

Among those subject to UK travel bans and financial restrictions are settlers accused of threatening families at gunpoint and destroying property as part of a targeted campaign to displace Palestinian communities.