The French authorities have announced that the country has decided to ban 28 Israeli settlers from entering its territory.
These Israeli settlers have been accused of attacking Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, and for this reason, the EU country has decided to no longer permit them to enjoy the right to enter.
Announcing its decision on the ban, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France said that they highly condemn the unacceptable violence.
The Ministry further expressed concern about the situation in recent months and called for peace and security.
These measures come as violence perpetrated by settlers against the Palestinian population has increased in recent months. Colonisation is illegal under international law and must stop.
France said that it would require sanctions to be imposed against these individuals on the EU level, too. If this happens, those targeted will not be permitted to enter any of the European Union countries. In addition, they might also be subject to an asset freeze and forbidden from transiting through the EU’s territory.
Poland and Germany also said earlier this week that Israeli settlers involved in these attacks would be sanctioned. On the other hand, Belgium already imposed a travel ban on extremist Israeli settlers in January.
In addition to imposing the entry ban, Belgium is also pushing for an EU-level ban on some Israeli settlers. The Netherlands is also pushing for the same thing.
While these EU countries are calling for measures against settlers to be taken immediately, Czechia and Hungary are doing the opposite. The two countries have refused to talk on the matter, and they are not expected to change their mind.
The foreign minister of the EU will have a meeting in Brussels on February 19. During this meeting, they are expected to make decisions on the matter and possibly impose sanctions against settlers who have been accused of attacking Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
Not only these EU countries, the United Kingdom has also announced that it will impose financial and travel restrictions on four Israeli settlers.
The UK said that it would freeze the assets and would not permit these three individuals to enter its territory. The country also shared the full names of the people who will be subject to these sanctions, unlike the EU countries mentioned above, which have not shared such information.
