DayofPal—The UK Foreign Office and several Western allies are preparing to announce a package of sanctions against Israel aimed at discouraging companies from involvement in Israel’s proposed E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
The project, which includes building more than 3,000 homes between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, is widely seen as a move that would split the West Bank and severely undermine the prospect of a viable two-state solution.
Nine countries, including the UK, France, and Australia, have warned that settlement violence must stop and that companies should not participate in the project.
The UK measures are expected to target firms linked to settlement construction and related activities, with officials warning of legal and reputational consequences.
The move comes amid growing political pressure, including calls from 137 UK MPs to take stronger action against settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied territories.
The planned sanctions would aim to deter companies from participating in construction linked to the project and may include broader measures against entities supporting settlement.
The proposal follows international warnings that the E1 development would violate international law and further split the territory and undermine a two-state solution.
Last August, the UK imposed sanctions on Itamar Ben Gvir, the security minister, and Smotrich, but the EU drew back from doing so last month owing to internal opposition and the need for unanimity. That decision is now being reviewed and the Czech Republic is said to be holding out.
Smotrich has said the E1 settlement will bury the idea of a Palestinian state. He described it as “Zionism as its best – building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the land of Israel”.
Jean-Noël Barrot, a French foreign minister, said at the weekend: “I have pushed for sanctions to be imposed not only on those responsible for this violence but also on the entities, companies and organisations in Israel that are providing these extremist settlers with the means to drive Palestinians from their land, burn their crops and destroy their public buildings.”
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