Australia sanctions against Israelis

International Desk: Australia has imposed sanctions against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank of Palestine. At the same time, this ban has been imposed against a youth group in Israel. 

The country has taken this action against Israeli settlers and youth groups due to continued violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Reuters reported this information in a report on Thursday (July 25).

Australia on Thursday imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on seven Israeli settlers and a youth group for their involvement in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, reports said.  An unnamed Israeli group is responsible for inciting violence against Palestinians.

In addition, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Israeli settlers are involved in the beating, sexual assault and torture, and in some cases, the killing of Palestinians in the West Bank. "We call on Israel to hold the perpetrators of settler violence and perpetrators accountable and to halt its ongoing settlement operations," Penny Wong said in a statement.

These actions only exacerbate tensions and further undermine the prospects for stability and a two-state solution.'  The move by the Australian government comes after Israel's allies Britain, the US, Canada and Japan imposed sanctions against some Israeli settlers in response to the violence in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israel's embassy in Australia said the country condemned the violence against the Palestinian community. "Israel is a law-abiding state and will work to bring the perpetrators involved to justice," an embassy spokesman said in an email. Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has increased since the far-right government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled support for the settlers. And attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians have more than doubled since October 7 last year.

Hundreds of Palestinians have so far been killed in operations in the West Bank that coincide with the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza. In addition, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are being built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. These settlements are considered illegal by most countries of the world.

The number of settlements in originally occupied territories has increased dramatically in the last decade. Palestinians describe settler violence as part of Israeli efforts to forcibly evict them from their land. Australia considers Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory illegal and an obstacle to peace.