Six Countries Including the UK and France Ban Entry of Israel's Far-Right Ministers

Six countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, have placed Israel's far-right ministers and others on a travel ban list in response to the ongoing violence in the West Bank.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Finance Minister. Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News

On June 9 (local time), French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced on X (formerly Twitter) that new sanctions would be imposed on those responsible for promoting settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank. This measure is being taken jointly by France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway.

The list of sanctioned individuals includes Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Minister. Smotrich is a far-right politician and former settlement activist. In addition, four leaders of Israeli settler organizations and 21 violent settlers have also been banned from entering these countries.

Minister Barrot criticized Minister Smotrich for actively promoting the annexation of the West Bank, supporting the construction of new settlements, and endorsing the resettlement of Gaza. He further pointed out that Smotrich has effectively tolerated the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority and the resulting harm to Palestinian residents.

The foreign ministers of the six participating countries also issued a joint statement condemning the violence by Israeli settlers. They stated that extremist settlers, with the support of their backers, have continued to attack Palestinians and violate human rights. The ministers called on the Israeli government to conduct swift and thorough investigations into all attacks and to take measures against groups that incite violence.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, incidents of violence involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank have continued. The international community considers the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank to be illegal under international law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.