New Actor: UK, Canada, France sanction Israeli settlements

The United Kingdom, with Canada and France, announced plans to curb economic links with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The UK package includes banning imports of settlement goods, suspending export licences for weapons that would materially support the occupation, and sanctioning companies that enable settlement expansion, including financial firms.

Setting out the policy to Parliament, the UK described escalating settler violence as “ethnic cleansing” and aligned its stance with the International Court of Justice’s view that Israel’s continued presence in the territories is unlawful. The measures are slated to take effect in six to nine months. Canada and France said they are moving to implement matching import bans on settlement goods, which, once in force, will bar these products from their markets and leave UK export licences that would support the occupation suspended.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources