France renewed its efforts within the European Union to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of committing acts of violence in the West Bank, according to what Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barro announced Thursday. Barrow pointed out that these European sanctions remained frozen for a year due to a Hungarian veto, suggesting that they could be lifted, and expressing his belief that they could be approved in the “coming days.”

Published on: 04/23/2026 - 15:36

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday expressed his hope that European sanctions would be adopted within the next few days, targeting Israeli settlers involved in killing Palestinians or starting fires in the occupied West Bank.

He explained in a statement to France Info radio that his country seeks to push the Israeli government to change its approach, by allowing aid to enter Gaza, stopping illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank, and putting an end to acts of violence carried out by extremist settlers.

He pointed out that "he has been advocating for a year to impose sanctions on entities and people responsible for killing Palestinians or starting fires in the West Bank."

He added, "These European sanctions were frozen a year ago due to a Hungarian veto, which may be lifted, and I believe that we will be able to impose these sanctions in the coming days."

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It is noteworthy that the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, is witnessing an escalation in violence involving Israeli settlers, and it has intensified since the beginning of the Middle East war on February 28.

While the minister recalled France's "steadfast commitment" to Israel's security, he said, "If the Israeli government does not change its policy, especially in Gaza and the West Bank, it will not be possible to act as if nothing had happened."

Since the start of the Gaza war, at least 1,065 Palestinians, some of them militants, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to Agence France-Presse statistics based on data from the Palestinian Authority.

In the same period, at least 46 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli data.

France 24/AFP

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