France is considering extending sanctions on Israeli settlers behind violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, President Emmanuel Macron's office said he spoke with Jordan's King Abdullah II. The two leaders "firmly condemned recent Israeli announcements about settlements" in the West Bank, "which are contrary to international law," Macron's office said in a statement. Tensions have mounted in the occupied territories since the Hamas October 7 attack on Israel that set off the Gaza war. At least 488 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since October 7, according to Palestinian officials. In February, 28 "extremist Israeli settlers" were banned from entering French territory. Last week the European Union imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers and two settler organisations for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Since the start of the year, Israeli authorities have declared nearly 1,100 hectares (2,720 acres) of the West Bank to be "state land" -- twice as much as in the previous record year in 1999, according to the settlement watchdog Peace Now.

 The status gives the government full control over how the land is used, inevitably leading it to being declared off-limits to Palestinians. Some 490,000 Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank alongside three million Palestinians. Macron and King Abdullah also spoke about the "catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza" and expressed "great concern about the perspective of an Israeli offensive on Rafah, where more than 1.5 million people are seeking refuge, and reiterated their opposition to such an operation," the statement said. "The two also insisted on the necessity of an immediate and durable ceasefire to allow massive deliveries of urgent aid and the protection of civilian populations," it added. Macron also "repeated that the liberation of hostages held by Hamas was an absolute priority for France".

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)