PARIS, June 7 - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Sunday that additional sanctions could be applied soon to Israeli settlers in response to what he described as an escalation in illegal settlement activity in the West Bank and an increase in violent actions by settlers against Palestinians.
Barrot noted that the European Union implemented sanctions last month targeting Israeli settlers and organisations that support them, and he told Public Senat television and RTL radio that a number of countries could consider following up with further measures. He did not identify which European countries might act.
In reference to the earlier EU action, Barrot said: "We could go further, and in the coming days, further sanctions could be imposed."
His comments come amid reports of growing violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and reflect mounting frustration in many Western capitals with the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which has continued to expand settlements. Diplomats quoted by European officials say that expansion is aimed at undermining prospects for a Palestinian state.
European diplomats have also said that France is coordinating with several other countries to amplify pressure on Israel by pursuing national sanctions that would target individuals linked to violence in the West Bank.
Barrot expressed deep concern about recent developments: "I am extremely concerned about the escalation of illegal settlement activity in the West Bank and the surge in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians." He said this concern is the reason he has advocated for sanctions not only against those directly responsible for acts of violence but also against "the entities, companies and organisations in Israel that are providing these extremist settlers with the means to drive Palestinians from their land, burn their crops and destroy their public buildings."
He framed the earlier measures as a message to Israel's government to confront the violence: "The previous measures were a way of calling on the Israeli government to face up to its responsibilities regarding this violence which, in my view, also undermines the authority of the state to some extent."
On May 22, a group of seven Western countries issued a joint appeal calling on Israel to stop expanding settlements in the West Bank and to address rising settler violence. The statement was signed by Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which said: "Over the past few months, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated significantly."
The French foreign minister's remarks indicate potential for an escalation in coordinated diplomatic and punitive measures over a short timeframe, while the specific scope and targets of any new sanctions remain unspecified.
Implications and context
The statements make clear that a diplomatic response to settlement expansion and settler violence is active and that additional national-level measures are under consideration. Details on which nations may participate or which individuals and organisations might be targeted were not provided.