Dear Friend,
This week, France joined the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand in imposing sanctions on individuals and organizations linked to settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The measures target networks accused of financing, supporting, or facilitating attacks against Palestinian communities, with the aim of disrupting the financial flows that have allowed such violence to continue with little accountability. France also announced entry bans on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, several leaders of settler organizations, and settlers accused of involvement in violence, citing their role in promoting settlement expansion and policies that contribute to the displacement of Palestinians.
Over the past two years, Palestinian communities across the West Bank have faced increasing settler attacks alongside military operations, home demolitions, land confiscation, movement restrictions, and the destruction of essential infrastructure. According to the United Nations, 2025 saw record levels of settler violence, while thousands of Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes and communities. Entire villages have been emptied after sustained attacks, and many families now live under the constant threat of demolition, expulsion, or violence.
For years, Palestinian communities, Israeli human rights organizations, and international observers have warned that settler violence is not simply the work of a small number of extremists. It takes place within a broader system of occupation and settlement expansion that steadily erodes Palestinians’ ability to remain on their land and exercise their basic rights.
Whether these measures will have a meaningful impact remains to be seen. What is clear is that governments are beginning to acknowledge that displacement does not happen by accident. It is the result of policies, practices, and violence that deny people the ability to remain safely in their homes, access their land, and live with dignity.
We do not believe that governments alone will bring about change, and while the measures announced this week are welcomed by us, they should not be an endpoint. They are an opportunity to build greater international support for accountability and for the nonviolent work being carried out on the ground. The real test is whether this momentum leads to stronger protection for communities facing displacement, greater accountability for ongoing violations, and sustained support for Palestinians and Israelis working together to confront violence through nonviolent means.
By supporting Combatants for Peace, you help make that work possible.
In peace & solidarity,
