The British government announced a new round of sanctions Tuesday targeting organizations and individuals it says are connected to violence against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria, while also warning of additional measures if conditions on the ground do not change.

Addressing Parliament, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain is coordinating with several allied nations to take action against networks it believes are involved in supporting attacks against Palestinian Arab communities.

The United Kingdom joined Canada, France, and Norway in imposing sanctions on six organizations and one individual. Australia and New Zealand unveiled similar coordinated measures last week.

According to the Foreign Office, those placed under sanctions will be subject to asset freezes and, where applicable, travel restrictions and bans on serving as company directors. British officials said the goal is to disrupt financial support systems connected to what they describe as extremist settler activity in Judea and Samaria.

In a joint declaration, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom said the sanctions were a coordinated response to what they view as a worsening reality in the region.

The ministers asserted that violent extremist settlers and their supporters continue to carry out attacks against Palestinian Arabs and violate their rights. They claimed such actions are intended to force Arabs from their communities, damage property, and advance “settlement activity,” which they argued threatens the possibility of a Palestinian state and undermines efforts toward coexistence.

The statement further alleged that violent settlers have operated with little accountability for an extended period and charged that the expansion of Jewish communities and outposts has continued with assistance from the Israeli government. It also claimed that some incidents of settler violence occur while protected by Israeli security personnel.

The five governments called on Israel to ensure accountability for violence in Judea and Samaria by investigating incidents, taking action against organizations and outposts linked to violence, and preventing incitement.

The ministers reiterated their belief that lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians can only come through the establishment of two states and said they remain committed to advancing that objective.

The Foreign Office noted that Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom have all recognized a Palestinian state and said the coordinated sanctions are part of a broader effort to preserve the viability of a two-state framework.

Britain also restated its longstanding position that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria violate international law and argued that continued construction harms prospects for a permanent peace agreement.

In a new policy step, Cooper announced that official British guidance will now explicitly discourage businesses from engaging in financial or commercial activity in areas the UK considers illegal settlements. The government said it remains supportive of trade with Israel within the pre-1967 boundaries while opposing economic involvement beyond those lines.

Cooper is expected to tell Parliament: “Today we are acting with our international partners to sanction those who support and sponsor violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.”

“Settler expansion and violence is illegal and a fundamental threat to the viability of a two-state solution, and to long-term peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.

“These measures show the UK is leading with our partners to target those who are fuelling this violence.”

The Foreign Office said the sanctions come amid ongoing “settlement expansion,” including the E1 development project, as well as what it described as unprecedented levels of violence by Jews against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria.

British officials also urged Israel to halt further community expansion, confront violence, prosecute offenders, and ease restrictions affecting Palestinian Arab economic activity. The government warned that additional steps remain on the table if progress is not made.

In their joint statement, Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom emphasized that they are prepared to escalate their response should Israel fail to take what they described as urgent corrective action.

As part of a broader package of initiatives involving Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Cooper is also expected to announce an additional £1 million for humanitarian mine-clearing efforts in Gaza, supplementing the £4 million Britain has already provided.

She is further expected to urge Israel to open all border crossings and eliminate restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries and equipment entering Gaza. Cooper will also reveal plans to attend a Palestinian Donor Group conference in Paris next month.

The Foreign Office additionally confirmed plans to provide at least £10 million in financial and technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority in 2026. The aid package is intended to help address the authority’s fiscal challenges and maintain essential public services, including healthcare.

The individuals and organizations sanctioned by Britain are The Farms Association, Ahavat Gilad, Ari Yshag, Artzenu, Shivat Zion Lerigvey Admata, Eyal Hari Yehuda Company Ltd., and Itamar Yehuda Levi.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sharply criticized the sanctions, describing them as “disgraceful.”

According to Sa’ar, “The real essence of these steps is the attempt to impose a political stance regarding the right of Jews to settle in the Land of Israel and concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, camouflaged as measures against violence.”

Sa’ar then accused the countries behind the sanctions of failing to address growing antisemitism within their own borders, stating: “What these governments have in common is their resounding failure to combat the antisemitism that is rampant in their own countries. Anti-Israeli policies of the kind adopted today only serve to fuel that antisemitism.”

He further charged that, “Astonishingly, these governments have also failed to impose sanctions or take action against the phenomena that truly drive violence – the Palestinian Authority’s salaries for terrorists (“pay-for-slay”) policy and incitement,” he added.

Yisrael Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, also denounced the move, saying: “Rather than confronting the security threat posed by the Palestinian Authority, the United Kingdom and other countries have chosen to impose sanctions on civilian leaders in Judea and Samaria. Strengthening the Palestinian Authority does not advance peace or stability; it increases the security risk facing every Israeli citizen. With the financial support it receives from foreign governments, the Palestinian Authority continues to fund terrorists and their families, promote incitement to terrorism through its education system, and maintain an armed force of tens of thousands of members of its security services just minutes from Jerusalem and Israel’s central population centers. At any moment, those weapons could be turned against Israeli civilians, raising the risk of another tragedy like the October 7 massacre.”

Ganz argued that Israel should respond decisively, adding that “Israel’s response to these sanctions should be addressed by the current Knesset rather than postponed to a future government. It should include dismantling the Palestinian Authority, ending the artificial division of Judea and Samaria into Areas A, B, and C, and strengthening Israel’s presence and sovereignty throughout the region. The Palestinian Authority is a corrupt entity that is bad for Arabs, bad for Jews, and bad for the world.”

{Matzav.com}