New Actor: UK, Australia, Canada sanction settlers

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and New Zealand unveiled coordinated sanctions targeting networks that finance, enable, and carry out settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Measures include asset freezes, travel bans, and director disqualifications. The UK also updated its official guidance to explicitly advise against any economic or financial activity in Israeli settlements.

The UK named six entities and one individual: The Farms Association, Ahavat Gilad, Artzenu, Shivat Zion Lerigvey Admata, Ari Yshag, the construction and demolition firm Eyal Hari Yehuda, and its owner Itamar Yehuda Levi. The targets are accused of funding and equipping settler outposts and farms tied to violence and forced displacement, channeling donations, raising money for tactical gear for armed settler groups, and using company resources to destroy Palestinian property and attack Palestinians.

France barred Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, four settler-organization leaders, and 21 settlers from entering the country. Norway barred 20 settlers, and Australia and New Zealand aligned their steps with the group. Israel’s government rejected the measures as political and said they fuel antisemitism, while the sanctioning states said they are prepared to take further action if Israel does not ensure accountability for West Bank violence.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources