Diplomats Urge Sanctions on Israel Over West Bank Settlements

More than 100 former French and British diplomats have called on their governments to impose sanctions on Israel over its expansion of settlements in the West Bank, accusing it of ethnic cleansing. The unprecedented letter directly accuses Israel of systematic policies aimed at destroying any prospect of an independent Palestinian state.

The diplomats addressed a joint letter to French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, warning that Palestine is being erased before the world's eyes. According to Al Jazeera, the signatories include high-ranking former ambassadors and officials who served in key Middle Eastern posts.

Violent incidents involving Israeli settlers have escalated tensions further. An Israeli man guarding Jewish settlers opened fire towards Palestinians who confronted them in the West Bank village of Sa'ir on Friday, killing a 17-year-old boy and wounding a 70-year-old man, as reported by Reuters.

The diplomats propose seven specific policy steps, including suspending trade agreements with Israel for human rights violations, imposing arms embargoes, banning trade with settlements, and making it an offense to buy property on stolen Palestinian land. This diplomatic initiative comes as international condemnation of Israel's settlement plans in the E1 area has mounted.

Human Rights Watch reported that dozens of Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank are at risk of erasure due to escalating attacks by Israeli settlers, accusing Israeli authorities of arming and funding these attacks. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and Norway issued a joint statement calling Israel’s E1 settlement project 'unacceptable.'

In a related development, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has condemned an Israeli seizure of its East Jerusalem training centre. Acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders accused Israel of violating UN premises and part of a campaign designed to weaken the agency and eliminate Palestinian rights. Israeli forces raided and seized the Qalandiya Training Centre in the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood, expelling UNRWA employees and ordering them not to return. Five Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire near the site, according to the Jerusalem governorate.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took part in the raid and said there was 'no place for the agency in Jerusalem and Israel.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the evacuation was lawful and carried out under legislation passed by Israel. The takeover of the facility deprives hundreds of young Palestinians of education and violates the protections afforded to UN premises under international law, Saunders said.