United Kingdom sanctions four Israeli settlers accused of violence

(Patria) - The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on four "extremist" Israeli settlers whom it accused of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the BBC reported.

The Foreign Office announced financial and travel restrictions against four individuals it says have committed human rights violations against Palestinians. Foreign Secretary David Cameron called on Israel to take measures to end the violence.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the start of the war in Gaza, following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7. At least 384 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, or in Israel, according to the United Nations. Ten Israelis, including four security forces personnel, have been killed in the same period.

The Foreign Office says some settlers have used harassment, intimidation, and violence to pressure Palestinian communities to leave their land.

Approximately 700,000 Jews live in 160 settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and 144 outposts, according to the Peace Now organization. Settlements were built by previous Israeli governments after Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, while smaller outposts were built without official permission. The vast majority of the international community considers settlements and outposts illegal under international law, although Israel and the US dispute this interpretation.

Among those subjected to a travel ban to the United Kingdom and financial restrictions are settlers accused of threatening families under the threat of weapons and destroying property as part of a targeted campaign to displace Palestinian communities.

Cameron said that "extremist Israeli settlers threaten Palestinians, often under the threat of weapons, and force them to leave land that is rightfully theirs. This behavior is illegal and unacceptable. Israel must also take stronger measures and stop settler violence."

The Foreign Office named the four settlers and described the accusations against them. Moshe Sharvit is accused by the United Kingdom of threatening, harassing, and attacking Palestinian shepherds and their families in the Jordan Valley. In October 2023, he is said to have forced a community of twenty families to flee after allegedly attacking residents and telling them they had five hours to leave.

Yinon Levy, a leader of a farm outpost, has been sanctioned after using physical violence and destroying property to displace Palestinian communities, according to a Foreign Office statement. Zvi Bar Yosef, also sanctioned, is behind an outpost that local Palestinian residents have described as a "source of systematic intimidation and violence," the UK government said.

The fourth sanctioned Israeli, Ely Federman, is accused of involvement in multiple incidents against Palestinian shepherds in the South Hebron hills.

London says it continues to call on Israel to take action against those responsible for settler violence, release frozen funds to the Palestinian Authority, and stop the expansion of settlements. The move comes after the US approved sanctions last week on Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.