Should the international community sanction Israel over settler violence in West Bank?

[FloralDeerPattern]

The problem of Israeli terrorism is getting worse and worse. Just over the past few weeks amongst other things Israeli terrorists have killed multiple people, commited sexual assault, beaten and threatened to rape young Palestinian girls, continually attacked the residents and property of the only remaining fully Christian town in the West Bank, stolen 100s of sheep from the Bedouin community, beaten activists who are there to provide a protective presence to Palestinians, set fire to property.

Palestinians don't have the right to defend themselves from this violent, rapidly escalating Israeli terrorism. They can't arrest and detain the Israeli terrorists. They are sitting ducks with no means of protecting themselves from beatings and sexual violence. Is it time that the international community steps in and sanctions Israel until they can control their obvious terrorism problem? What else can be done to try and protect innocent people from this escalating Israeli violence?

Are Israeli charities helping British people become settlers and are tax payers subsidising it through gift aid? Why are these organisations being hosted at events in the UK at all? This event was apparently put on by the World Zionist Organisation whose goals are to establish a home in Palestine for the Jewish people secured under public law through the expedient promotion of the settlement of Jewish agriculturists, artisans, and tradesmen in Palestine. This organisation have a history taking private Palestinian land and giving it to Israeli settlers. Why are this organisation allowed to operate in the UK? Who are the people going to these events and making them possible? This all needs to be investigated properly, wishy washy responses are the norm at this point but the government needs to do better.

www.declassifieduk.org/uk-politicians-call-for-sanctions-on-israeli-charity/

I don't know if it has been mentioned here yet, but remember Biden did sanction settlers:

US issues new batch of sanctions targeting West Bank settlers amid rampant violence | The Times of Israel

As did the UK :

New UK sanctions target illegal outposts and organisations supporting extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The EU is more complex. France was pushing hard for it:

New EU Sanctions on Israeli Settlers, Says France - Observer Diplomat

Believe Trump rescinded in January 2025. From Reuters at that time:

During his first term in 2019, Trump had abandoned the long-held U.S. position that the settlements are illegal before it was restored by Biden.
Israel Ganz, chairman of the main Yesha settler council who has close ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters in October that he expected the sanctions to be lifted in the event of a Trump win.

www.reuters.com/world/trump-cancels-sanctions-far-right-israeli-settlers-occupied-west-bank-2025-01-21/

Because the settlers are aided by the state of Israel and the IDF I believe that the state of Israel should be sanctioned. It isn't enough to just sanction individual settlers themselves when it is the government who are aiding and encouraging the violence.

Absolutely agree. Fobbing off.

I saw this today, Israeli extremist settlers are making a play for Syria too.

https://truthout.org/articles/far-right-israeli-settler-movement-enters-syria-in-a-push-for-greater-israel/

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/04/28/eu-ready-to-sanction-israel-over-russian-vessel-carrying-stolen-ukrainian-grain

This is what it takes for the EU to threaten Israel with sanctions?!

Agree, it’s money that makes them move, forget the systematic violations of international law. Still let’s hope that being ‘ready’ really means carrying it through. I don’t know if Germany and Italy could scupper this too

1000% they should !!! Apart from few good countries all of them are wet lettuces and the history will mark them as being complicit to a gNcd !!!

This just about sums up the EU limp reaction:

EU rebukes Israel over advance beyond ceasefire line.

What are they going to do, confiscate their phones?

It is somewhat misleading as Italy and Germany blocked, otherwise there’s a huge push. I was trying to find data and interestingly Germany was close but Italy massively voted against. Not sure how valid this data is though. It’s horribly framed as a ‘live’ issue.

euobserver.com/214609/eu-rebukes-israel-over-advance-beyond-gaza-ceasefire-line/

The whole tone was much more critical towards Israel. Although no current unanimity - the numbers of states who feel something needs to be done appears to be stacking up.
Interestingly, Italy’s voting position does not appear to be aligned with Italian voters concerns.

« In Italy, the shift has been one of the most dramatic in Western Europe. While Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has positioned Italy as a key strategic interlocutor for the US and Israel, Italian civil society has moved toward open resistance.
Public Opinion: As of May 2026, surveys indicate that only 11 percent of Italians consider Israel a strategic "ally." Disapproval of the joint US-Israeli military strikes against Iran is high, with a majority of Italians fearing that regional escalation is driving the domestic cost-of-living crisis.
The General Strike (September–October 2025): Italy witnessed an unprecedented wave of mobilization led by trade unions like the CGIL and SI Cobas. Millions of workers participated in a general strike demanding an end to "Italian complicity" in the Gaza genocide.
Defence Pact Suspension: Under intense domestic pressure, the Meloni government announced in April 2026 that it would suspend the automatic renewal of its 2003 defence memorandum with Israel.
BDS and "Apartheid Free Zones": The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has seen mainstream adoption. Over 300 businesses and cultural centers across Italy have declared themselves "Israeli Apartheid Free Zones," and Italy ranked second in Europe (after France) for signatures on the petition to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement.«

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-reject-suspend-israel-association-agreement/

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/567417.aspx

Well it's a long overdue start.

"As Israel and the US are 'doing Europe's dirty work' by fighting for civilization against Jihadist lunatics in Iran and elsewhere, the European Union exposed its moral bankruptcy by drawing a false symmetry between Israeli citizens and Hamas terrorists," the Israeli prime minister office posted on X.
Response from Israel

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim also criticized the move by EU ministers against his group, saying that the EU insists on what he described as political hypocrisy and racism.
Response from Hamas

Looks like they're angering both. Oh well

https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-ministers-agree-sanctions-targeting-violent-west-bank-settlers-2026-05-11/

Opinion piece from Haaretz at the end of April acknowledging that sanctions are coming and that public revulsion in Europe and US at the actions of Israeli government is growing alongside the dissent in Israel. Progress is moving at a glacial pace but there is a sense of inevitability.

www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-04-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/sanctions-are-inevitable-despite-israelis-obliviousness/0000019d-d01b-d623-ad9f-fedbc0500000

It would be great to see more countries follow Belgium on this. Consequences for choosing to live on stolen land.

“After reviewing our population registry records, we found that you reside in a settlement that is not recognized under international law, to which Belgium is committed. Therefore, it was not possible to register you at this address in the population registry of the Belgian consulate in Jerusalem. Accordingly, we hereby inform you that you are no longer registered with this mission.”

www.timesofisrael.com/belgium-refuses-to-renew-passport-of-israeli-citizen-living-in-jerusalem-area-beyond-green-line/

Absolutely! Well done Belgium.

Things are going from bad to worse in the West Bank. 100s of Israelis are regularly swarming the West Bank at weekends to carry out attacks on Palestinians in larger numbers than during the week.

Over the past 24 hours things have descended into chaos with Israelis attacking numerous Palestinian villages after Palestinians sought to repel raiding Israelis and a clash broke out, with one of the Palestinians managing to snatch a weapon from an Isrseli which led to the deaths of 2 Israelis and 4 Palestinians. In 'revenge' Israelis have shot, stabbed and beaten people, set fire to homes(including trying to burn families to death), vehicles and farmland.

The IDF meanwhile are concentrating on hunting down “all the terrorists involved in the terror attack.”, by that they mean the Palestinians who were attempting to defend themselves from the mob of 60 armed Israelis who were 'hiking' in an area they are barred from and an area they had raided multiple times over the past weeks. As they are so busy hunting down Palestinians they have no man power available to stop their citizens from violently rampaging across Palestine.

The Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and Belgium are so far the only European countries to do anything about trade with these illegal settlements. Meanwhile countries like the UK allow synagogues to host sales of land in illegal settlements helping to further legitimise and fund violence across the West Bank.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/settlers-rampage-across-west-bank-amid-burial-of-civil-security-guard-shot-by-palestinian/amp/

Im ashamed to be British.

Did you miss the bit about the US Congressman ?

Democratic Rep. Khanna says Israeli settlers and IDF soldiers blockaded him in West Bank for over an hour | CNN

I too am ashamed. The thing that strikes me is WHY nobody's doing anything... Israel obviously has too much influence. Yet constantly plays the victim. Disgusting.

There are people doing things. Some settlers are sanctioned by the UK.

UK sanctions individuals and entities linked to Israeli settlers in West Bank | The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)

That is just one example. Biden sanctioned loads too, Of course, Trump removed those sanctions,

Trump revokes Biden executive order imposing sanctions on violent Israeli settlers | The Times of Israel

So no need to feel ashamed I think. Plenty of people doing things that you can support. If you are on twitter or whatever, give them a thumbs up.

Natasha Hausdorf of UK Lawyers for Israel should be ashamed.

She was interviewed and stated Israel has not dispossesed anyone of their home in the West Bank.

Clear to see how that narrative and her also assertion that she has no problem with the settlements being increased can be truly believed when it's being repeated by people in the public eye.

Settler terrorism is state backed - funded and organised by Israel. Sanctioning individuals is not working. There needs to be full trade sanctions.

Israeli settlers set fire to mosques, cars and farm land in West Bank, Palestinians say https://share.google/1Yh0Vel2cz8XrC4HD
Residents of the West Bank are being attacked by Israeli terrorists all at the encouragement and sanction of Netanyahu.

UK Lawyers for Israel are an absolute bloody disgrace.

Exactly. It's fully state supported. Israel should be under the highest level of sanctions and US support should be stopped. Religious organisations selling illegal land should be raided and the individuals charged.