Six Western Nations Impose Coordinated Sanctions on Israeli Settlers and Finance Minister Smotrich

France on June 9 barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, joining a coordinated sanctions package that France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway announced jointly against West Bank settlers and the organizations that finance them ^[1][2]. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the action on social media, stating that Smotrich "actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank," the creation of new settlements, the recolonization of Gaza, and policies aimed at the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority ^[3][4]. Beyond Smotrich, France also barred four leaders of settler organizations and 21 settlers it characterized as violent from entering French territory.

The action marks the second time in recent months that France has banned a sitting Israeli cabinet minister. Smotrich is the second member of the Israeli government to be forbidden from entering France in recent months, after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was barred on May 23 for mocking activists detained by Israeli soldiers from a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid for the Palestinian territory. The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway had already imposed travel bans on both ministers in June of last year over inciting violence against Palestinians. France's June 9 action therefore brings the country into alignment with the broader coalition on Smotrich specifically, while extending the collective posture to new financial and organizational targets.

Each country issued its own legally distinct sanctions, drawing on domestic authority. The UK added one person and six entities to its sanctions list under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, all subject to asset freezes. Australia imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on three people and four entities under the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011. Canada added two people and five entities to its sanctions list under the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations. Among the newly targeted entities across jurisdictions are organizations the designating governments allege have channeled funds to settler outposts and armed settler groups operating in the West Bank. UK designations include the Farms Association, which the government says provides financial and organizational support to settler farms and outposts linked to violence and forced displacement, as well as Artzenu, which it accuses of promoting and financing settler farms and outposts associated with violence, including fundraising for tactical military equipment for armed settler squads.

The UK action also extended into business advisory guidance. For the first time, the UK Foreign Secretary announced that the UK's official guidance explicitly advises businesses against economic and financial activity in illegal settlements, while stating that the UK continues to support trade with Israel within 1967 lines. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper delivered the announcement in a statement to Parliament, telling the House of Commons that the government had "targeted some of the most notorious individuals, the most significant settler entities, and the extremist figures in the Israeli cabinet who are inciting these acts." The six countries warned after issuing the new sanctions that they were prepared to take further measures if the Israeli government failed to adequately address the situation on the ground.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the package in full. The Ministry characterized the measures as "disgraceful" and said Israel "firmly rejects" them, accusing the relevant countries of attempting to impose a political stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "camouflaged as measures against violence." The ministry also alleged the measures would increase antisemitism. Smotrich serves not only as Finance Minister but also, holds a position as a minister within the Defense Ministry, giving him dual oversight over both fiscal policy and settlement administration, a structural arrangement that has drawn sustained international criticism.

The June 9 designations reflect an accelerating enforcement arc among Western allies who have each formally recognized Palestinian statehood. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Norway, and the UK have all recognized Palestinian statehood since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The military recorded 867 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence in 2025, up from 682 incidents in 2024, a trend the sanctioning governments cited as the factual predicate for escalating their response. Excluding East Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank in settlements that are illegal under international law, among approximately 3 million Palestinians. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. The six governments have framed each successive round of designations as support for the viability of a two-state solution, a formulation that now carries both diplomatic and legal weight, given that the same countries have also conditionally paused or restricted arms export licenses and bilateral trade discussions with Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.