The UK have imposed new sanctions on extremist groups and individuals for inciting and perpetrating settler violence in the West Bank.
From HM Government:
- further sanctions package targets those inciting and perpetrating settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
- new measures follow unprecedented rise in settler violence over the last year and come after a previous UK sanctions package in February
The Foreign Secretary has announced further sanctions on extremist Israeli groups and individuals for violence in the West Bank.
The package includes two groups known to have supported, incited and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank, as well as four individuals responsible for perpetrating human rights abuses against these communities.
The measures follow an unprecedented rise in settler violence in the West Bank over the last year, with the UN recording at least 800 incidents since October.
Hilltop Youth, one of the groups sanctioned, are a hardline nationalist Israeli youth group which establishes illegal settler outposts across the West Bank with the stated mission of expelling all Palestinians from the Occupied Territories. Lehava are also sanctioned today for facilitating, inciting, and promoting violence against Arab and Palestinian communities.
The four individuals sanctioned today for egregious human rights abuses against Palestinian communities are:
- ‘A’: a radical settler activist and former leader and spokesperson of the now-defunct Kach party, which espoused overtly racist and violent policies. He has trained settler groups to commit acts of violence against Palestinians and how to avoid repercussions from the Israeli state
- ‘B’: is responsible for illegally constructing three illegal outposts between 2015 and 2023 and has supported and participated in acts of violence and displacement of Bedouin and Palestinian communities in the West Bank
- ‘C’: has been documented on multiple occasions as taking part in assaults and intimidation of Palestinians, as part of a wider intimidation campaign aiming to drive their population out of the area. As recently as October 12th 2023, he was involved in an incident during which Palestinian villagers were beaten and sexually assaulted
- ‘D’: is an unofficial spokesperson for Hilltop Youth. He has a history of making inflammatory statements inciting religious hatred and violence, including justifying the killing of Palestinians on religious grounds, and calling for the takeover of Palestinian land and the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank
Today’s measures impose financial restrictions on the entities and individuals, and travel restrictions on the individuals.
- The sanction package is the second UK package targeting persons involved in settler violence in the West Bank. The first tranche was announced by the FCDO on 12 February 2024
Definitions:
- an asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person. It also prevents funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person. UK financial sanctions apply to all persons within the territory and territorial sea of the UK and to all UK persons, wherever they are in the world
- a travel ban means that the designated person is an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971, and must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom (and any leave given to a person who is an excluded person is invalid)
View the full UK Sanctions List.
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Editor’s note: The above are thumbnail (or larger) details of various Government communiques / press releases which you may / may not have read about. Not all involve politicians. But not all the headings on them say what the item is REALLY about so, in a few cases, NFCP have put an alternative headline (or alternative opening paragraph) on them…
All can be found in full at News and communications – GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/search/news-and-communications
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