EU Council Sanctions Israeli Settler Organisations and Leaders for Alleged Human Rights Violations in Occupied West Bank

The European Council has imposed a fresh round of sanctions against several Israeli settler organisations and individuals accused of facilitating violence and human rights abuses against Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank. The measures were adopted under the European Union Global Human Rights Sanction Regime, a framework that enables the EU to target persons and entities involved in serious human rights violations worldwide.

The sanctions were announced on May 29, 2026, and apply to four organisations and three individuals whom the Council found responsible for enabling or supporting extremist settler activities. Those designated include the Nachala Settlement Movement and its director Daniella Weiss, whom the EU identified as playing a central role in promoting settlement outposts that have become recurring sources of settler violence. The sanctions also target Amana, Regavim and its director Meir Deutsch, as well as Hashomer Yosh and its president Avichai Suissa.

Under the restrictive measures, all assets belonging to the designated persons and entities within European Union jurisdictions will be frozen. EU citizens and businesses are prohibited from making funds or economic resources available to them, directly or indirectly. The listed individuals are also subject to travel bans preventing entry into or transit through EU member states.

The decision follows mounting international concern regarding settlement expansion and escalating violence in the West Bank. According to findings cited by the European Council, unlawful settlement activity has accelerated during 2026, contributing to the displacement of thousands of Palestinians and increasing attacks by settlers against local communities.

The sanctions are grounded in international humanitarian and human rights law. The European Council referred to reports indicating that settlement expansion and forced displacement may violate protections afforded to civilians under the Geneva Conventions. The measures also reflect concerns regarding conduct that could fall within the scope of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which prohibits widespread or systematic attacks against civilian populations.

The Council stated that the sanctions implement the political agreement reached by EU foreign ministers earlier in May, which condemned growing settler violence in the Occupied West Bank and called for accountability measures against extremist actors. The move represents one of the European Union's most significant actions to date targeting organisations and individuals linked to settlement-related violence, amid continuing international scrutiny of conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories.