Australia has joined the UK and other Western allies in imposing sanctions on 'extremist settlers' responsible for 'horrific levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians' in the West Bank. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The announcement, made overnight by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will see sanctions imposed on six firms and one individual involved in enabling and financing the recent upsurge in settler violence in the West Bank.
Joint statement
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Norway and the United Kingdom said: "In response to the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, we the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Norway and the United Kingdom, have taken coordinated action to introduce sanctions and other measures to hold extremist settlers accountable for the horrific levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians."
"Extremist violent settlers, with the backing of their supporters, continue to attack Palestinians and abuse their human rights. They use violence to displace Palestinians, destroy property and perpetuate the illegal settlement enterprise, undermining the viability of the State of Palestine and the prospects for peaceful coexistence."
Call for accountability
The ministers stated: "For too long, violent settlers have been able to act with near impunity, and settlement expansion and creation of outposts continue with the support and facilitation of the Government of Israel. In some cases, settler violence takes place under the protection of Israel's security forces. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to take action to ensure meaningful accountability for violence in the West Bank. The Government of Israel should ensure every attack is swiftly and thoroughly investigated, take action against the outposts and organisations that allow violence to flourish, and stop the incitement of violence."
Two-state solution
The ministers emphasized: "We believe that peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians can only be achieved through the implementation of the two-state solution. Together, we will continue to work towards this goal."
"We Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom have all taken the historic decision to recognise the State of Palestine, reflecting the rights of the Palestinian people and as part of our common efforts to protect the viability of the two-state solution. Today, we are acting together again in support of the same objectives."
"We stand ready to take more action if the Government of Israel does not take urgent steps to address the situation on the ground," they added.