Using the threat of settlements as a “punishment” feeds directly into the narrative that an Israeli presence on the West Bank is an obstacle to a peace agreement and is inherently counterproductive.
Paris has backed that initiative and diplomats have said they hoped that once its measures were in place it could speed up the European process.
The UK Foreign Secretary's office says these four Israelis threatened human rights in the West Bank.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said he was considering imposing sanctions on "extremist" settlers in the West Bank.
The order was set to be released later Thursday, according to the documents and the US official, and is expected to include sanctions against the settlers, the news outlet reported.
"The Palestinian people and the Arab neighbors need the reassurance that there will be no forced displacement but a viable perspective, with an independent Palestinian state," she added.
There have been many initiatives in the past 19 years to reestablish Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip, but until the October 7 massacre by Hamas, it didn't look likely.
Should this plan come to fruition there would be at least 25 cities in Samaria by 2050, compared to Samaria’s one settler city of Ariel.
The Biden administration has been sharply critical of the accelerated settlement activity that has occurred under Netanyahu, including policy changes that have fast-tracked the approval process.
The success of a thirty-year campaign against the Israeli judiciary is also a reminder of the power of determined and strategic grassroots efforts.
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