French foreign minister Barrot condemns West Bank settler violence, defends Ben-Gvir sanctions
This comes after France announced in May that it was banning Ben-Gvir from French territory.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot strongly denounced recent violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, stating that their actions warranted France's sanctions against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Barrot expressed revulsion at the events unfolding in the West Bank, calling them utterly disgraceful.
He further justified the sanctions imposed on Ben-Gvir due to his recent inhumane and unacceptable comments. The French minister also emphasized that additional sanctions could be imposed on Israeli settlers involved in such violent acts against Palestinians.
France's decision to ban Ben-Gvir from French territory, announced in May, was rooted in the violence he has been involved in. Barrot reiterated that further sanctions might be imposed on individuals implicated in such violent incidents. Meanwhile, the UK, Canada, France, and Norway jointly announced coordinated sanctions in June against Israeli networks engaged in financing, enabling, and executing violence in the West Bank.
Despite these sanctions, Israel's Foreign Ministry dismissed them, claiming that the imposing governments failed to control antisemitism and inadvertently fueled it through such punitive measures.
The sanctions were part of a wider international campaign targeting Israelis and organizations deemed responsible for violence in the West Bank. Six nations, including Australia and New Zealand, joined France, Norway, and the UK in imposing coordinated measures targeting alleged perpetrators of abuses against Palestinian civilians. Additionally, France had previously imposed travel restrictions on Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The recent violence has also drawn international attention to the Kusra incident, where Israeli settlers had encircled three Palestinian homes for over a week. IDF troops were deployed to the area, with settlers' actions eliciting strong condemnation from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Israeli officials and settlement leaders have criticized the Kusra violence, with Ben-Gvir acknowledging the need to stop outposts' establishment, while Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Gantz deemed the incident improper and unacceptable. The IDF bolstered its presence in the village to avert further tensions.
The conflict over settlements in the West Bank is not new. IDF figures released earlier this year indicated a 27% increase in attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians and Israeli security forces in 2025. This surge occurred amid heightened international pressure on Israel to address the actions of these extremist settlers.
The West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, is home to nearly 500,000 Israelis, despite the widespread recognition by countries and UN bodies that these settlements violate international law.
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