The UK Government announced a new package of sanctions Friday on Israeli groups and individuals who have been linked to settler violence against people in the West Bank. The sanctions include financial and travel restrictions. This is the second set of sanctions to be imposed by the UK against perpetrators of settler violence against Palestinians, the first being in February.

The press release on Friday details that the new package of sanctions is targeting two identified terror groups who are “known to have supported, incited and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank”. Sanctions have also been imposed against four individuals who are “responsible for human rights abuses” against Palestinian communities.

The identified groups are Hilltop Youth and Lehava. According to the UK government, Hilltop Youth is an extremist Israeli youth group which has aided in establishing outposts in the West Bank. While settlements are authorized by the Israeli government, outposts are not. Lehava, a far-right and anti-Arab extremist group, is being sanctioned for “facilitating, inciting, and promoting violence against Arab and Palestinian communities”. Both groups were subject to sanctions by the EU in April.

The four individuals have been sanctioned for “training settler groups” to commit violent acts against Palestinians, constructing outposts, supporting violence against Palestinians and incidents of battery and sexual violence against villagers. One of the four individuals is Elisha Yared, an “unofficial spokesperson for Hilltop Youth” who is sanctioned for speech inciting hatred, violence and encouraging the “expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank”. Yared was recently placed on house arrest following the shooting of a Palestinian, after a court ruling found that there was not enough evidence to charge him.

Israeli settlers in the West Bank are illegal under international law. However, an estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers are currently occupying private Palestinian land in the West Bank, with authorization from the Israeli government.

In December, the rise of extremist settler violence against Palestinians drew condemnation from several countries including the UK. A joint call was made for Israel to address the spike in violence and impose measures to protect Palestinians. The statement said,

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom express their grave concern about the record number of attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Since the start of October, settlers have committed more than 343 violent attacks, killing 8 Palestinian civilians, injuring more than 83, and forcing 1026 Palestinians from their homes. […] We strongly condemn the violent acts committed by extremist settlers […] We reiterate our position that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law and remind Israel of its obligations under international law, in particular Article 49 of Geneva Convention IV.

Article 49 of Geneva Convention IV prohibits the individual or mass forcible transfer of civilians from occupied territory to any other country.