Settler Sanctions: It's Not What, But Who's in the Crosshairs

Um Saher Shtayyeh stands undeterred, her mobile camera aimed at armed men adorned in military attire. With her brother reportedly hospitalised in critical condition after a brutal assault by Israeli settlers, she confronts the intimidating figures, accusing them of seizing her home in defiance of her rights.

Hailing from the village of “Ein Shibli” in Nablus, Shtayyeh recounts the harrowing ordeal her family has endured. She recalls how the same settlers, whom she identifies through the lens, perpetrated a vicious attack on her brother as he sought to safeguard their property. Um Saher stands as one of over 1000 Palestinians who have fallen victim to systematic terror at the hands of settler violence since 7 October, according to United Nations figures.

Um Saher’s story serves as yet another chilling reminder of the continual relentless trauma endured by Palestinians, despite the imposition of financial and travel restriction sanctions by several countries, including the United Kingdom (UK), against "violent extremist” Israeli settlers.

The persistence of settler brutality against Palestinians, despite the introduction of such sanctions, prompts looking into the effectiveness of this newly introduced policy, which focuses solely on settlers in an attempt to curb attacks on Palestinians.

Israeli government ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have openly encouraged and praised acts of violence against Palestinians, and in some instances, denied their existence as a people. In October 2023, Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, purchased 10 thousand rifles to arm settlers amid the wave of settler violence against Palestinians. He also insinuated that a settler who shot dead a Palestinian for allegedly throwing rocks should receive a medal of honour.

The problems with the UK’s Sanctions

In the context of the UK’s policy, while Israeli banks complied with sanctions like those declared by the UK’s foreign office against eight extremist Israeli settlers, Israeli associations, subsidiaries of Israeli governmental branches, persisted in funding the sanctioned settlers.

One of the settlers that the UK sanctioned, Yinon Levy, leader of the illegal settlement "Meitarim Farm" outpost in the occupied territory of Hebron, according to Israeli news reports, has had a crowdfunding campaign initiated in his name by the Har Hebron fund, a subsidiary association of the Har Hebron Regional Council.

Councils like "Har Hebron" are municipal authorities that oversee small illegal settlements in the OPT, often designated as special planning committees under Israeli Military Order 418.

According to Peace Now, this is not the first time that the Har Hebron regional council has lent a hand to the Israeli sanctioned settlers in ways that violate the law. In 2021, the Har Hebron development company, also owned by the council, signed a contract to establish an agricultural farm on the levy’s illegally seized land in the occupied Palestinian Territories.

The contract indicated that the farm aims to “preserve the state’s lands and its surrounding lands”, therefore disregarding that such seizure of land and forcible transfers of Palestinians as an effect is illegal under international law.

While Israeli banks complied with sanctions like those declared by the UK’s foreign office against eight extremist Israeli settlers, Israeli associations, subsidiaries of Israeli governmental branches, persisted in funding the sanctioned settlers.

The Israeli governmental branch's actions not only undermine the effectiveness of the sanctions by giving the settler a financial leeway, but also counteracts the sanctions’ intended impact.

This impunity does not merely extend to funding settlers to undermine the effectiveness of sanctions; it also involves Israeli officials directly inciting violence and facilitating the means for it both verbally and physically.

Israeli government ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have openly encouraged and praised acts of violence against Palestinians, and in some instances, denied their existence as a people.

For instance, in October 2023, Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, purchased 10 thousand rifles to arm settlers amid the wave of settler violence against Palestinians. He has also publicly insinuated that a settler who shot dead a Palestinian for allegedly throwing rocks should receive a medal of honour.

Similarly, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has made statements endorsing the taking of Palestinian lives. In March 2023, Smotrich called for the erasure of the Palestinian town of Huwara following its rampage and destruction by settlers. He has also advocated for the creation of "sterile" areas, free from Palestinians.

An alternative UK Approach to Violations

Instances of officials engaging in unlawful persecution of communities under their control are not unprecedented and yet, Britain has responded in vastly different ways in the past.

In 2021, reports emerged linking top Chinese government officials with widespread and serious violations against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in China, including arbitrary or unlawful killings and detentions, forced disappearances and torture.

In response to such reports, the UK announced sanctions against Chinese government officials, in line with the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020.

These regulations, mainly aim to hold states and/or officials operating on behalf of the state accountable for actions that constitute serious violations of individual rights, such as the right to life and the right not to be subjected to torture.

Despite the incessant nature of settler attacks, even after the imposition of sanctions, the UK still insists on using soft power diplomacy with Israel through verbally urging the government to adopt a firmer stance against violent settlers. However, the grim reality endures: a state of "entrenched impunity," as described by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, persists unabated, regardless of international pressure.

The sentiments and actions of Israeli officials, like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, not only evoke parallels with similar Chinese statements and actions against the Uyghurs, but also flagrantly contravene Article 4(a) and (b) of the UK Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations, which safeguard an individual’s right to life and protects against inhumane and degrading treatment.

The ongoing surge in settler violence in the West Bank, as documented by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, underscores the gravity of Israeli official statements in inciting violence.

Israeli Impunity on the Loose

Despite the incessant nature of settler attacks, even after the imposition of sanctions, the UK still insists on using soft power diplomacy with Israel through verbally urging the government to adopt a firmer stance against violent settlers. However, the grim reality endures: a state of "entrenched impunity," as described by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, persists unabated, regardless of international pressure.

The different approaches taken by the UK in the cases of China and Israel compel us to ask: Can the UK finally fulfill its obligations towards Palestinians, as it has done in similar instances of state connected violence, by implementing measures beyond mere sanctions against individual violent settlers?