UK sanctions settler violence; Ireland says won't 'wait' for EU to act
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Ireland and the UK act against Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, calling for an end to such extreme acts of violence.
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Israeli forces walk with Israeli settlers storming the Palestinian West Bank village of Deir Sharaf, undated (AFP)
Ireland will not "wait" for the rest of the EU to act against extremist Israeli settlers, according to the country's Prime Minister. This statement reflects increasing frustration in Dublin regarding what they view as Brussels' lack of action.
As he arrived for a cabinet meeting in Dublin, Simon Harris stated that Ireland is “not going to wait for consensus” within the EU to take action.
This comes as Ireland reevaluates drafting legislation that could prohibit imports of products produced in the occupied territories.
Such laws were contemplated in 2020, but it is believed that a stronger legal foundation now exists following the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion in July, which indicated multiple breaches of international law in the occupation of Palestinian territories.
Read next: Western nations urge 'Israel' to end settler violence in West Bank
On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on fellow European Union members to support Madrid and Ireland's request to suspend the bloc's free trade agreement with "Israel" due to its actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
Following his meeting with Joe Biden in Washington last week, Harris announced that he would push the EU to reconsider the trade agreement, citing worries that the global response is insufficient to address the current humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
“When people look back at this time in history, it will be a moment of shame of the world that more is not done to stop the war,” he said.
UK sanctions target Israeli settler outposts in West Bank
On Tuesday, Britain imposed sanctions on Israeli settler organizations it claimed had supported violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank, urging "Israel" to "stop settler expansion on Palestinian land."
The sanctions focus on seven settler outposts or organizations implicated in facilitating, inciting, promoting, or supporting activities that constitute serious human rights abuses against Palestinians, according to Britain.
"The inaction of the Israeli government has allowed an environment of impunity to flourish where settler violence has been allowed to increase unchecked," British Foreign Minister David Lammy highlighted, adding that settlers have also targeted schools and families with young children.
"The Israeli government must crack down on settler violence and stop settler expansion on Palestinian land," he added.
According to Britain, the latest sanctions, which include asset freezes on the organizations, mark the third set of measures against individuals involved in settler violence in the West Bank.
