The British government on Friday announced new sanctions against Israeli terrorist groups and individuals allegedly involved in terrorism and settler violence against people in the West Bank. Sanctions include economic and travel restrictions. This is the second time the UK has imposed sanctions on perpetrators of settler violence against Palestinians, following in February.
A press release on Friday detailed that the new sanctions package targets two specific terrorist groups “known to have aided, incited, and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.” There is. Sanctions were also imposed on four people “responsible for human rights violations” against the Palestinian community.
The groups identified are Hilltop Youth and Lehava. Hilltop Youth is an Israeli extremist youth group that is helping establish outposts in the West Bank, according to the British government. Settlements are authorized by the Israeli government, but outposts are not. Rehaba, a far-right, anti-Arab extremist group, has been sanctioned for “promoting, inciting and promoting violence against Arab and Palestinian communities.” Both organizations were subject to EU sanctions in April.
The four were sanctioned for “training settler groups” to carry out acts of violence against Palestinians, building outposts, supporting violence against Palestinians, and incidents of assault and sexual violence against villagers. One of the four was Elisha Yared, an “unofficial spokesperson for Hilltop Youth” who was sanctioned for speeches that incited hatred and violence and encouraged “the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank.” It is. Yared was recently placed under house arrest after a court ruled there was not enough evidence to charge him after shooting a Palestinian.
Israeli settlers in the West Bank are illegal under international law. But now, with permission from the Israeli government, an estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers occupy private Palestinian land in the West Bank.
In December, violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians escalated, drawing condemnation from several countries including the UK. They jointly called on Israel to take steps to address the surge in violence and protect Palestinians. The statement read:
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are gravely concerned by the record number of attacks on Palestinians by extremist settlers. expressed in the West Bank. Since early October, settlers have carried out more than 343 violent attacks, killing eight Palestinian civilians, injuring more than 83 others, and displacing 1,026 Palestinians. […] We strongly condemn acts of violence by extremist settlers […] We reiterate our position that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law and remind Israel of its obligations under international law, in particular Article 49 of Geneva Convention IV.
Article 49 of the Geneva Convention IV prohibits the forcible transfer of civilians, individually or in groups, from an occupied territory to another country.
