Six nations impose travel bans and sanctions on Israeli officials and settlers

On June 9, 2026, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway announced coordinated sanctions and travel bans targeting Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and various individuals associated with settlement activity. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the measures were taken in response to the intensification of settlement expansion and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. In addition to the ban on Minister Smotrich, the sanctions include travel restrictions on four leaders of settler organizations and 21 individuals accused of committing violence. The French government cited these actions as a necessary response to policies that undermine the two-state solution. In a formal response, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein rejected the measures, describing them as an attempt to impose political positions on the rights of Jewish citizens. Israel characterized the sanctions as a pretext for interfering in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The involved countries indicated they remain prepared to take further actions if the situation in the West Bank continues to deteriorate.