The United Kingdom announced on Tuesday its third round of sanctions targeting Israeli organizations in Judea and Samaria, citing concerns over human rights abuses against Palestinians.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy announced the sanctions on Tuesday, targeting seven settler outposts or organizations accused of “facilitating, inciting, promoting, or supporting activities that seriously violate Palestinian human rights.” The measures include asset freezes on these entities.
Lammy criticized the Israeli government’s inaction, stating, “The Israeli government must crack down on settler violence and stop settler expansion on Palestinian land.” He emphasized that the lack of response has fostered an “environment of impunity” where settler violence has increased unchecked.
In a parallel development, former foreign secretary David Cameron revealed that the United Kingdom had been preparing sanctions against two far-right Israeli ministers—Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir—before then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a snap election. Cameron cited their alleged encouragement of extreme settler activities and attempts to impede aid convoys to Gaza as reasons for the proposed sanctions.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell corroborated Cameron’s statements, accusing the Israeli ministers of “deliberately inciting attacks” on aid convoys and Palestinians in the West Bank.
This latest round of sanctions follows the United Kingdom’s partial suspension of arms sales to Israel in early September, a decision that drew sharp criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it “shameful” and asserted that it would not deter Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas.
