PARIS: France is considering extending sanctions on Israeli settlers behind violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said after he spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Macron’s office said in a statement that the two leaders firmly condemned recent Israeli announcements about settlements in the West Bank, which are contrary to international law, AFP reported.
Tensions have mounted in the occupied territories since the Hamas October 7 attack on Israel that started the Gaza war. At least 488 Palestinians have been martyred by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since October 7, according to Palestinian officials.
In February, twenty-eight extremist Israeli settlers were banned from entering French territory. Last week the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers and two settler organizations for violence against Palestinians in the Jerusalem and West Bank.
Since the start of the year, Israeli authorities have declared about 1,100 hectares of the West Bank to be “state land” — twice as much as in the previous record year in 1999, the settlement watchdog Peace Now said in a report.
The status gives the government full authority over how the land is used, inevitably leading it to being declared off-limits to Palestinians.
Israeli Settlers in West Bank
About 490,000 Israeli settlers are now settled in the West Bank alongside 3 million Palestinians. Macron and King Abdullah also spoke about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and expressed serious concern about the perspective of an Israeli offensive on Rafah, where over 1.5 million people are seeking refuge, and reiterated their opposition to such a move, the statement said.
It added that both leaders also insisted on the need of an immediate and durable ceasefire to allow massive deliveries of urgent assistance and the protection of civilian populations.
