France is coordinating with several European countries to impose nationally aligned sanctions on Israeli colonizers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, diplomats told Reuters, as Western frustration with the Israeli government intensifies amid escalating settler violence.
According to the diplomats, the planned measures will include asset freezes and travel bans targeting individuals identified as participating in or enabling assaults on Palestinian communities.
The lists have not yet been finalized, and each participating country may adopt different names depending on its legal and political procedures. An official announcement is expected within days, though timelines may vary between capitals.
The initiative comes amid a documented rise in colonizer violence across the West Bank, with United Nations agencies and human rights organizations reporting increased armed assaults, property destruction, and attacks on Palestinian villages.
Western diplomats told Reuters that the ongoing expansion of illegal colonies, coupled with the growing influence of far‑right settler groups, is viewed as a major source of instability. They noted that several recent incidents involved colonizers operating with weapons and, at times, under the protection of Israeli forces.
European officials also warned that Israel’s continued settlement expansion is widely seen as an effort to undermine the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
They highlighted Israel’s plan to advance construction in the E1 area of occupied East Jerusalem, a project that would effectively sever the northern West Bank from the south and has long been opposed by the international community.
Because the European Union has been unable to reach consensus on bloc‑wide sanctions, discussions have shifted to the national level, where individual governments can act more quickly.
France is coordinating its steps with Britain and Norway, while other states have not yet publicly disclosed their positions.
A French diplomatic source told Reuters that Paris has already taken measures in response to settlement expansion and settler violence and may introduce additional steps, without providing further details.
These developments come just days before France hosts a June 12 meeting in Paris, bringing together Israeli and Palestinian civil society organizations and foreign ministers from around ten countries, part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to address the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
