French foreign minister Barrot condemns West Bank settler violence, defends Ben-Gvir sanctions

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has strongly condemned the violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, stating that such actions justify France's recent sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Barrot took to social media platform X to express his outrage, calling the events in the West Bank "utterly disgraceful" and stating they "should fill us all with revulsion." He further asserted that this violence is the reason France sanctioned Ben-Gvir, whose recent comments he deemed "unacceptable and inhuman."

France has indicated that further sanctions could be imposed on Israeli settlers found to be involved in violence against Palestinians. This stance aligns with coordinated sanctions announced in June by France, Britain, Canada, and Norway against Israeli networks accused of financing, enabling, and carrying out violence in the West Bank. Israel's Foreign Ministry rejected these measures at the time, accusing the sanctioning governments of failing to control antisemitism and of fueling it through such actions. The sanctions are part of a broader international effort targeting individuals and entities accused of abuses against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

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What is happening today in the West Bank is utterly disgraceful and should fill us all with revulsion.

Barrot's remarks come amid heightened international scrutiny of incidents in Kusra, near Nablus, where Israeli settlers reportedly encircled Palestinian homes for over a week. The deployment of IDF troops to the area and unusually sharp condemnation from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee highlight the severity of the situation. Israeli officials and settlement leaders have also voiced criticism of the violence, with Ben-Gvir acknowledging that some settlers establishing outposts need to be restrained and Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Gantz calling the incident "improper and unacceptable." The IDF has increased its presence in the village to prevent further escalation. These events follow a trend of rising attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians and Israeli security forces, which saw a 27% increase in 2025, prompting growing international pressure on Israel to act.

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This is why we have sanctioned Israeli minister Ben-Gvir, whose recent comments are unacceptable and inhuman.