Yisrael Ganz, Governor of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, in response to the new sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom and other countries on "settler" entities and individuals, as well as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
“Rather than confronting the security threat posed by the Palestinian Authority, the United Kingdom and other countries have chosen to impose sanctions on civilian leaders in Judea and Samaria," Ganz said.
"Strengthening the Palestinian Authority does not advance peace or stability; it increases the security risk facing every Israeli citizen. With the financial support it receives from foreign governments, the Palestinian Authority continues to fund terrorists and their families, promote incitement to terrorism through its education system, and maintain an armed force of tens of thousands of members of its security services just minutes from Jerusalem and Israel’s central population centers. At any moment, those weapons could be turned against Israeli civilians, raising the risk of another tragedy like the October 7 massacre," he stated.
"Israel’s response to these sanctions should be addressed by the current Knesset rather than postponed to a future government. It should include dismantling the Palestinian Authority, ending the artificial division of Judea and Samaria into Areas A, B, and C, and strengthening Israel’s presence and sovereignty throughout the region. The Palestinian Authority is a corrupt entity that is bad for Arabs, bad for Jews, and bad for the world," Ganz concluded.
In a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK, together with international partners, is taking coordinated action against networks linked to attacks on Palestinian communities.
The UK, alongside Canada, France, and Norway, is imposing sanctions on six entities and one individual. Australia and New Zealand published coordinated sanctions last week.
According to the Foreign Office, those designated will face asset freezes and, where appropriate, travel bans and director disqualifications. The measures are intended to disrupt financial flows supporting extremist settler groups operating in Judea and Samaria.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom stated that they had taken coordinated action in response to what they described as a deteriorating situation in the region.
The ministers said extremist, violent settlers, with the backing of their supporters, continue to attack Palestinian Arabs and abuse their human rights. They said such violence is used to displace Arabs, destroy property, and support "settlement activity," which they said undermines the viability of a Palestinian state and prospects for peaceful coexistence.
France, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway also announced the imposition of sanctions against Minister Smotrich. As part of the move, the countries announced that Smotrich would be banned from entering their territories. In addition to the finance minister, measures were also imposed against four leaders of settler organizations and 21 settlers whom the countries claim were involved in incidents of violence in Judea and Samaria.