Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Norway and New Zealand said on Tuesday that they had taken coordinated measures to hold extremist Israeli settlers accountable , in response to what they described as the deteriorating situation in the West Bank.
After imposing new sanctions earlier on Tuesday, the group of countries said it was prepared to take further action if the Israeli government did not take urgent steps to address the situation on the ground.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that France, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway had imposed sanctions related to acts of violence in the West Bank .
He added in a post on X that France had also banned entry to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, four leaders of settler organizations, and 21 settlers involved in acts of violence.
He said the announcement, which “imposes new sanctions on those responsible for intensifying settlement construction and violence in the West Bank,” is in line with similar steps taken by Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
Barrow explained that “Smotrich is openly calling for the annexation of the West Bank, the establishment of new settlements there, the reoccupation of Gaza, and the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority.”
He warned that this would have “dire consequences for the Palestinian people, and is a policy that cannot be accepted by the overwhelming majority of the international community, which is firmly committed to the two-state solution.”
Last month, France barred National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering its territory after he released a video showing detained activists from the “Steadfastness Flotilla” kneeling with their hands tied after being intercepted at sea and taken into custody in southern Israel.
Britain also announced on Tuesday a package of sanctions targeting what the government said were networks that helped finance, facilitate and carry out settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
A statement issued by the British government said the sanctions, which came in coordination with Canada, France and Norway, are aimed at disrupting the flow of funding that has “allowed extremist settler groups to act with impunity” in the West Bank.
The British government said that continued illegal settlement expansion undermines the possibility of a two-state solution, amid unprecedented levels of settler violence “aimed at deliberately destroying Palestinian homes and livelihoods in the West Bank.”
Britain also reiterated its call for the Israeli government to halt settlement expansion, curb settler violence and prosecute those responsible, and lift restrictions on the Palestinian economy. The government threatened further measures if the situation did not improve.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on British companies to halt all their activities in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, London suspended free trade talks with Israel, halted several arms export licenses, and imposed sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Last year, Britain joined allies, including France and Canada, in recognizing a Palestinian state.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also called on British companies to halt all their activities in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
She told Parliament, “I have strengthened our guidance on business risks to be clear and unambiguous: if you are a British citizen or a British company, you must not conduct any economic or financial activity in illegal Israeli settlements.”
She added, “We believe that violent settler groups should not be allowed to benefit from the land they have seized from the Palestinians,” noting that the Israeli government’s condemnations of some of these acts of violence “seem hollow” in the absence of concrete measures to punish them.
In contrast, Israel rejected the series of sanctions.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Mamorstein said, “Israel categorically rejects the shameful actions taken by foreign governments against Israeli citizens, Israeli entities, and a minister in the right-wing government.”
According to the statement, “The true essence of these steps is an attempt to impose a political position regarding the right of Jews to settle in the land of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to hide this under the guise of taking measures to combat violence.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry accused Western capitals of “utter failure” in combating what it claimed was “rampant anti-Semitism in their countries.”
Earlier on Tuesday, a UN commissionof inquiry said that Israeli authorities were directly involved in settler attacks that killed, injured and displaced Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, while Israeli security forces provided protection to the settlers.
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded in a report that Israeli authorities enabled settlers, through financial and military support, to attack Palestinians, in a climate of impunity reinforced by judicial bodies and law enforcement agencies.
Attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural lands have escalated since 2023, increasing by 130 percent and including incidents involving groups of masked attackers.
The committee noted in its report that attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural lands have escalated since 2023, increasing by 130 percent, and included incidents involving groups of masked assailants. The report stated that Israeli security forces routinely accompanied and protected settlers as they perpetrated the violence.
The United Nations said at least seven Palestinians were killed and 832 others were injured last year, with violence continuing into 2026 in the form of near-daily attacks.
The committee concluded in the report that “the increased involvement of Israeli security forces in settler attacks means a de facto breakdown of the distinction between settlers and soldiers.”
She added that such violence was used to further state policy, including the illegal occupation, displacement of Palestinians and annexation of Palestinian land.
The committee documented cases of assault, kidnapping, and abuse perpetrated by settlers against Palestinian children. In one incident on April 19, 2025, a 12-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother were kidnapped at gunpoint, taken to an olive grove, and tied to a tree with plastic ties until their family intervened.
The committee also said that these settlers committed or threatened to commit acts of sexual violence to instill fear in Palestinian women and harass them.
The committee chairman, S. Muralidhar, a former senior Indian judge, said, “The ongoing daily attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are intolerable and must end.” He urged the international community to pressure Israel to dismantle settlements and outposts and curb the violence.
The report stated that Israeli authorities have failed to take measures to stop the attacks despite periodic condemnations and the dismantling of some unauthorized settlement outposts. Wasil Abu Yousef, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, said the report “reflects the scale of the violence perpetrated by settlers against our people.” He called for a response, including the imposition of sanctions.
The commission also found that Hamas had committed war crimes against both Palestinians and Israelis. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office, the Israeli military, and Hamas did not respond to requests for comment.
