France sanctions Israeli settlers over alleged human rights abuses

France imposes sanctions on 28 “extremist Israeli settlers” who violate Palestinian rights in occupied West Bank

France took decisive action on Tuesday by sanctioning 28 people it calls “extremist Israeli settlers,” who violate the rights of Palestinian citizens in the occupied West Bank. The French foreign ministry announced the move claiming it will stop these people from entering French land.

The increase in violence by settlers against the Palestinian people in the past few months was strongly condemned by the French government as “unacceptable.” In a statement, the ministry stressed that it was the responsibility of Israeli officials to find those guilty of these actions and bring them to justice.

In addition, France said it would try to get penalties at the European level, which is the same position other European countries have taken on the issue.

This latest move comes after the UK announced sanctions against four people it said were violating the human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank last week. On top of that, the US had already taken action against one of these people along with three others because of “intolerable” violence.

Three million Palestinians living in the West Bank in contrast to about 490,000 Jews, have been a source of conflict for a long time. It was made clear again by France that colonization is against international law and that it needs to stop right away, citing that it makes it harder to create a functional Palestinian state.

Source: AFP