UK sanctions illegal outposts, extremist Israeli settlers in W. Bank

The United Kingdom announced new sanctions against three illegal settler outposts and four organisations “that have supported and sponsored violence” against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.

Settler violence often seeks to force Palestinians to leave their homes, and seize their land for the construction of outposts, which are illegal under both international and Israeli law, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a press release on Tuesday. The measures follow an unprecedented rise in settler violence in the West Bank over the last year, with the UN recording over 1,400 attacks by settlers against Palestinian communities since October 2023. The month of October sees the beginning of the olive harvest in the West Bank, an important time both culturally and economically for Palestinians. It has traditionally suffered spikes in violence as organised settler groups disrupt and attack Palestinians, according to the statement. The measures taken today are part of wider UK effor
ts to support a more stable West Bank, which is vital for the peace and security of both Palestinians and Israelis. Commenting on the measures, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “When I went to the West Bank earlier this year, on one of my first trips as Foreign Secretary, I met with Palestinians whose communities have suffered horrific violence at the hands of Israeli settlers.” “The inaction of the Israeli government has allowed an environment of impunity to flourish where settler violence has been allowed to increase unchecked. “Settlers have shockingly even targeted schools and families with young children,” Secretary Lammy regretted. “Today’s measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. “The Israeli government must crack down on settler violence and stop settler expansion on Palestinian land,” he stressed. “As long as violent extremists remain unaccountable, the UK and the international community will continue to act.

“The ill
egal settler outposts sanctioned today – Tirzah Valley Farm Outpost, Meitarim Outpost, and Shuvi Eretz Outpost – have been involved in facilitating, inciting, promoting or providing support for activity that amounts to a serious abuse of the right of Palestinians not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” Lammy added.

The four designated organisations are; Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva, Hashomer Yosh, Torat Lechima, and Amana. Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva is a religious school embedded in the Yitzhar settlement known to promote violence against non-Jewish people. Hashomer Yosh is a non-governmental organisation that provides volunteers for illegal outposts, including Meitarim Outpost (also sanctioned today). Meitarim was founded by the extremist settler Yinon Levy, who the UK sanctioned in February. Torat Lechima is a registered Israeli charity that has been documented as providing financial support to illegal settler outposts linked with acts of violence against Palestinian communities in
the West Bank. Amana operates in practice as a commercial construction company. It has overseen the establishment of illegal outposts and provides funding and other economic resources for Israeli settlers involved in threatening and perpetrating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

Source: Kuwait News Agency