LONDON: Britain on Monday announced sanctions on four “extremist Israeli settlers” accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank, following a similar move by the United States earlier this month.
The curbs follow what the UK called “unprecedented levels of violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank” over the past year by some residents of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts there.
The sanctions represent a rare move by London and Washington against Israelis, as war rages with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The transatlantic allies’ steadfast support for Israel’s military action in the territory has drawn heavy criticism both internationally and among sections of their domestic populations.
Announcing the new curbs — which comprise UK asset freezes alongside travel and visa bans — British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that “Israel must also take stronger action and put a stop to settler violence.”
He added: “Too often, we see commitments made and undertakings given, but not followed through.”
Cameron said “extremist Israeli settlers” are threatening Palestinians, often at gunpoint, and “forcing them off land that is rightfully theirs,” branding the behavior “illegal and unacceptable.”
“Extremist settlers, by targeting and attacking Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians,” he added.
Two of the individuals sanctioned — Moshe Sharvit and Yinon Levy — have in recent months used physical aggression, threatened families at gunpoint, and destroyed property, Cameron’s foreign ministry said.
Their actions are “part of a targeted and calculated effort to displace Palestinian communities,” it added.
London also targeted Zvi Bar Yosef, who it said had set up an illegal outpost in the West Bank in 2018 which has been described by local Palestinian residents as a “source of systematic intimidation and violence.”
A fourth person London sanctioned, Ely Federman, had been involved in multiple incidents against Palestinian shepherds in the South Hebron Hills, according to the foreign ministry.
Levy was the only one of the quartet to also be targeted by the US, when it unveiled sanctions against four Israeli settlers on February 1.
UK announces sanctions on four ‘extremist settlers’ in West Bank
https://arab.news/v3e84
UK announces sanctions on four ‘extremist settlers’ in West Bank
- UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron: ‘Extremist Israeli settlers’ are threatening Palestinians, often at gunpoint, and ‘forcing them off land that is rightfully theirs’
- Two of the individuals sanctioned — Moshe Sharvit and Yinon Levy — have in recent months used physical aggression, threatened families at gunpoint and destroyed property
Israel says bodies of two hostages retrieved from Gaza
- Yair Yaakov was seized in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and killed the same day
JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have retrieved the bodies of two hostages from the Gaza Strip, the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, as Israel presses its offensive in the Palestinian territory.
A military statement said a joint operation by the army and the Shin Bet security agency recovered the bodies of Yair Yaakov and “an additional hostage whose name has not yet been cleared for publication” from the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza.
Yaakov, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was 59 when he was seized in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and killed the same day.
The military statement said he had been abducted and killed by fighters from Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally.
Yaakov was abducted along with his partner Meirav Tal, as they sheltered in their safe room in Nir Oz.
She was freed on November 28, 2023 during the first truce.
Abducted separately at the home of their mother, Yair’s two children Yagil and Or were also released on November 27 during the first truce.
Nir Oz was one of the communities hit hardest by the attack, with nearly a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage.
Milei says Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem in 2026
- “I am proud to announce before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the city of west Jerusalem,” Milei told Israeli parliament Wednesday
JERUSALEM: Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday his country would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the status of which is one of the most delicate issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“I am proud to announce before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the city of west Jerusalem,” Milei said in a speech in the Israeli parliament during an official state visit.
Argentina’s embassy is currently located near the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
Several countries, including the United States, Paraguay, Guatemala and Kosovo, have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, breaking with international consensus.
Israel has occupied east Jerusalem since 1967, later annexing it in a move not recognized by the international community.
Israel treats the city as its capital, while Palestinians want east Jerusalem to become the capital of a future state.
Most foreign embassies to Israel are located in the coastal hub city of Tel Aviv in order to avoid interfering with negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
In 2017, during his first term as US president, Donald Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking Palestinian anger and the international community’s disapproval.
The United States transferred its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018.
Syrian, Egyptian foreign ministers hold talks at Oslo Forum
- Lawmakers exchange views on challenges to regional security
LONDON: The foreign ministers of the Syrian Arab Republic and Egypt held talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Oslo Forum 2025 in Norway.
Asaad al-Shaibani and Badr Abdelatty discussed ways to improve collaboration between their countries and exchanged views on the challenges to security and stability in the region, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan also met Abdelatty on the sidelines of the forum to discuss bilateral relations and the escalating situation in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.
The Oslo Forum is an annual event organized by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue in Switzerland. It provides a platform for global leaders, decision-makers and conflict mediators to share their experiences and discuss pathways to peace.
Smotrich’s move to cut bank ties risks Palestinian supply crisis
- The waiver had allowed Israeli banks to process shekel payments for services and salaries tied to the Palestinian Authority, without the risk of being charged with money laundering and funding extremism
JERUSALEM: An Israeli move to cut off cooperation with Palestinian banks could halt the supply of essential goods such as food and fuel to the Palestinian territories, the Palestinian Monetary Authority said on Wednesday.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered the cancelation of a waiver on cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian banks on Tuesday.
This move risks the Palestinian banking system, trade, and overall economy. Israeli banks Hapoalim and Israel Discount Bank work with Palestinian banks.
Some 53 billion shekels ($15.2 billion) were exchanged at Palestinian banks in 2023, official data show.
BACKGROUND
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered the cancelation of a waiver on cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian banks on Tuesday.
Canceling the waiver would require approval by Israel’s security Cabinet. No date for a vote has been set, and it was not clear whether it would pass.
The PMA said it was following developments and warned that such disruption posed a serious threat to Palestinian access to basic goods and services.
It noted it has ongoing coordination with the political leadership and international community to safeguard correspondent banking relationships.
“These efforts are vital to ensuring the continuity of commercial transactions and the payment of essential imports and services, including food, electricity, water, and fuel,” the PMA said.
Smotrich said his decision came against the “delegitimization campaign” by the Palestinian Authority against Israel globally.
The waiver had allowed Israeli banks to process shekel payments for services and salaries tied to the Palestinian Authority, without the risk of being charged with money laundering and funding extremism.
Without it, Palestinian banks would be cut off from the Israeli financial system.
The PMA said depositors’ funds within the Palestinian banking sector are secure and that the banking system remains integrated with the global financial network through a broad range of correspondent banks and continues to provide services to individuals and businesses domestically and internationally.
Smotrich, under US pressure, had in late 2024 signed a waiver to extend cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian banks through November 2025.
In the past, Smotrich sought to end the waiver but ultimately signed it due to pressure from the US and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
His latest decision came hours after the UK and four other nations imposed sanctions on him and another far-right minister, accusing them of inciting violence in the West Bank.
The sanctions included a freeze on assets and travel bans.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the action by the five countries was “outrageous.”
Egypt backs ‘pressure on Israel’ but says Gaza actions need approval
- Foreign ministry says foreign delegations seeking to visit border area with Gaza must receive prior official approval
CAIRO: Egypt said on Wednesday that it backs efforts to put “pressure on Israel” to lift its blockade on Gaza, but added that any foreign delegations seeking to visit the border area must receive prior approval through official channels.
Egypt “asserts the importance of putting pressure on Israel to end the blockade on the (Gaza) Strip,” the foreign ministry said as hundreds of activists in a Gaza-bound convoy head to the Egyptian border on their way to the besieged Palestinian territory, but added “we will not consider any requests or respond to any invitations submitted outside the framework defined by the regulatory guidelines and the mechanisms followed in this regard.”
