France is coordinating with several allied nations to impose a fresh round of national-level sanctions on individuals linked to settler violence in the occupied West Bank, with an announcement expected within days. Three European diplomats told Reuters on Saturday that France is pressing ahead with coordinated national measures targeting individuals linked to violence in the West Bank, with the measures to include asset freezes and travel bans. The move comes as settler attacks against Palestinian communities continue to escalate and as the Israeli government presses ahead with settlement expansion.
Another diplomat said Britain and Norway were among the countries France was coordinating with, although it remained unclear who else could join. The measures have not yet been finalised, and countries may adopt different lists of individuals, according to Reuters.
The decision to act at the national level follows a deadlock within the European Union’s collective framework. Three European diplomats said that with efforts blocked at the EU level to advance tougher measures against Israel, several countries had concluded that coordinated national sanctions were the best option for now. “There is no unanimity at the EU level, so we have moved to discussions at the national level,” one diplomat said. Two of the diplomats told Reuters the announcement would be made in the coming days.
Most countries have avoided publicly discussing national sanctions for fear that potential targets could shift assets in advance. That operational caution explains why the plans have been communicated through anonymous diplomatic channels rather than formal government statements.
The latest push is directly tied to events on the ground. Israeli security forces were photographed on June 5 dispersing Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of their land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. That incident was one of a series of settler attacks that have drawn renewed condemnation from Western governments in recent weeks.
French officials have said they want to keep the issue on the international agenda as wars in Iran and Lebanon draw attention away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while talks over Gaza’s future remain deadlocked despite a fragile ceasefire.
The Israeli government has rejected the sanctions framework outright. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said after the EU imposed new sanctions on May 11 that the bloc had “chosen, in an arbitrary and political manner, to impose sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities because of their political views and without any basis.”
At the time of the EU’s May 11 decision, Saar also vowed that the government would “continue to stand for the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has been the most vocal European advocate for the measures. Speaking to French broadcaster franceinfo in April, Barrot said he had been pushing “for a year” for sanctions against those responsible for the killings of Palestinians and arson attacks in the West Bank. Barrot also warned that if the Israeli government does not change its policy, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, it will not be possible “to act as if nothing has happened.” He added that France’s objective was not to suspend ties for their own sake, but “for things to change and for the Israeli government to change its policy.”
A central concern driving European pressure is Israel’s E1 settlement project. The E1 plan, a settlement east of Jerusalem, would bisect the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, fragmenting territory Palestinians seek for an independent state. France formally condemned the plan in August 2025, calling it a serious violation of international law, according to the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Regional and Global Impact
The move reflects broader anger in many Western countries toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has expanded settlements. Some diplomats say that expansion is aimed at undermining prospects for a Palestinian state.
On May 22, seven Western nations — including France, Britain, Australia, and Canada — jointly accused the Israeli government of aggravating tensions in the West Bank, signalling that the diplomatic coalition behind the sanctions push is wider than the countries directly coordinating on individual measures. The coordinated national approach marks a shift in strategy: rather than waiting for EU unanimity, key European states are now moving independently to create pressure, according to Reuters.
Background
France has an established record of unilateral sanctions on Israeli settlers. In February 2024, France imposed travel bans on 28 Israeli settlers it accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, citing a surge in settler violence. By June 2025, France had imposed 59 individual sanctions against extremist settlers who had engaged in violence against Palestinian civilians, according to the French foreign ministry. The EU reached its own political agreement on settler sanctions in May 2026, though the EU foreign ministers’ decision on May 11 still required additional technical and legal work before sanctions could be formally imposed by the EU executive. Hungary had previously blocked EU-level measures on settlers for more than a year, according to Reuters and AFP.
What Happens Next
Two European diplomats said the coordinated national sanctions announcement is expected within the coming days, though the final lists of targeted individuals have not been confirmed and countries may adopt different measures. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has not indicated any policy change in response to the threatened sanctions, instead reaffirming Israel’s settlement policy. The EU’s May 11 political agreement on settler and Hamas sanctions still requires technical and legal completion before the EU executive can formally enforce them, meaning both the national and EU-level tracks are advancing on separate timelines. France has said it will continue working with European partners to build further pressure if Israeli government policy does not shift, according to the French foreign ministry.
