Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a convention calling for Israel to rebuild settlements in the Gaza Strip and the northern part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in Jerusalem, Jan. 28, 2024. (Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)
OTTAWA — Canada will impose sanctions on Israeli settlers who incite violence in the West Bank and introduce new sanctions on Hamas leaders, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Sunday, after the United States took similar action last week.
On Thursday, the United States sanctioned four Israeli men accused of being involved in violence in the occupied territory.
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday, Joly said some settlers "will be sanctioned" and "we will also bring new sanctions on Hamas leaders."
"We're working actively on it," Joly said, speaking from Ukraine. "I'm making sure that while I'm in Ukraine, the work is being done in Ottawa and I look forward to doing an announcement soon."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said he was considering imposing sanctions on "extremist" settlers in the West Bank.
Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West
Bank of the Jordan River, which was designated as "Palestine" in the UN partition plan during the creation of the state of Israel. Israel has built Jewish settlements there that
most countries deem illegal.
In the 18 months before the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the West Bank had already seen its highest levels of unrest in decades. Confrontations there have risen sharply since Israeli forces launched their retaliatory offensive on Gaza.
on Israeli settlers who incite violence in the West Bank and
introduce new sanctions on Hamas leaders, Foreign Minister
Melanie Joly said on Sunday, after the United States took
similar action last week.
On Thursday, the United States sanctioned four Israeli men
accused of being involved in violence in the occupied...