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A Palestinian inspects a car that burned in an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank in early December
Photo: Yosri Aljamal / REUTERS
The French Foreign Ministry has released a statement saying the country is imposing sanctions on "radical" Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Accordingly, 28 people are no longer allowed to enter France.
»These measures are being taken after there have been increasing acts of violence by settlers against the Palestinian population in recent months. “France reiterates its strong condemnation of these unacceptable acts of violence,” the statement said. "As we have already reiterated several times, it is the responsibility of the Israeli authorities to put an end to them and to prosecute the perpetrators."
France is also working with its partners to impose sanctions against violent settlers at the European level.
Violence against Palestinians in the West Bank had intensified since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.
The French Foreign Ministry continued that the settlement was illegal and must stop. Their advance stands in the way of the creation of a Palestinian state, even though this is the only solution so that Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security.
The USA had previously imposed sanctions against Israeli settlers, and the EU also wants to take stronger action against militant settlers. The European Union's foreign affairs representative, Josep Borrell, said in December after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels that he would submit a US-style proposal to member states. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) had advocated such an approach. Great Britain's Foreign Minister David Cameron has also announced entry restrictions against radical settlers.
The settlers live among around three million Palestinians. The United Nations has classified these settlements as a major obstacle to a peace settlement because they leave little contiguous territory for the Palestinians in a possible two-state solution.
aeh/dpa/Reuters