Australia imposed financial sanctions and travel bans today, Thursday, on 7 Israeli settlers and a youth movement that it said were involved in violent acts against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated in a statement that the movement was responsible for inciting and committing violence against Palestinians, while the settlers were involved in "violent attacks on Palestinians" including "beatings, sexual assault, and torture against Palestinians leading to serious injuries and in some cases, deaths."

Wong said, "We call on Israel to hold accountable those who commit settler violence and to cease its ongoing settlement activities that only serve to inflame tensions and undermine stability and the prospects for a two-state solution."

The Australian government's step comes after Britain, the United States, Canada, and Japan imposed sanctions on some Israeli settlers in response to the violence in the West Bank.

Violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has increased amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Palestinian authorities confirmed the martyrdom of 589 Palestinians in the West Bank from Israeli army fire or by the hands of settlers since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7.

Australia considers Israeli settlements established on occupied Palestinian territories to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.