The United Kingdom, together with Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and Norway, has announced coordinated sanctions targeting individuals and entities accused of financing, enabling and carrying out violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement to Parliament on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK would impose sanctions on six entities and one individual involved in supporting settler violence. Australia and New Zealand announced similar coordinated sanctions last week.
The move comes amid growing international concern over rising settler violence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to the UK government, those designated under the sanctions regime will face asset freezes and, where applicable, travel bans and director disqualifications. The measures are intended to disrupt financial networks that enable extremist settler groups to operate in the West Bank.
The UK government said settlements are illegal under international law and undermine efforts to achieve a lasting peace and a viable two-state solution.
For the first time, the UK has also updated its official business guidance to explicitly advise British companies against economic and financial activities in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. While the UK continues to support trade with Israel within its internationally recognised borders, it said there should be no economic involvement in illegal settlements.
"Today we are acting with our international partners to sanction those who support and sponsor violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank," Cooper is expected to tell Parliament.
She said settler expansion and violence are illegal and pose a serious threat to the viability of a two-state solution as well as long-term peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis.
The UK said the measures come amid continued settlement expansion, including the E1 project, and record levels of settler violence that have resulted in the destruction of Palestinian homes and livelihoods.
The government reiterated its call on Israel to halt settlement expansion, take action against settler violence, prosecute those responsible and ease restrictions affecting the Palestinian economy.
The sanctions announcement forms part of a broader UK initiative aimed at advancing peace and security in Israel and Palestine, including support for the implementation of the 20 Point Peace Plan for Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary is also expected to announce an additional £1 million in humanitarian mine-clearing assistance for Gaza, supplementing the £4 million already committed by the UK. She will also call on Israel to open all border crossings and remove restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries.
In addition, Cooper will confirm at least £10 million in financial and technical assistance for the Palestinian Authority in 2026 to help address its fiscal challenges and maintain essential public services, including healthcare.
The Foreign Secretary is scheduled to travel to Paris later this week ahead of a peace-building conference bringing together Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives and international partners working to support a two-state solution.
The sanctioned entities and individual include The Farms Association, Ahavat Gilad, Ari Yshag, Artzenu, Shivat Zion Lerigvey Admata, Eyal Hari Yehuda and Itamar Yehuda Levi.
The UK government said the sanctions have been imposed under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020.