• President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan’s King Abdullah II discuss extending sanctions on Israeli settlers.
• Both leaders condemn recent Israeli settlements in the West Bank, stating they are contrary to international law.
• Macron emphasizes the necessity of an immediate ceasefire and the liberation of hostages held by Hamas.

President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced that France is contemplating extending sanctions on Israeli settlers responsible for violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, following his conversation 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.

Since my last update in January 2022, Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries and organizations, including the United States, the European Union, Israel, and others.

In February, France banned 28 “extremist Israeli settlers” from entering its territory. Last week, the European Union imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers and two settler organizations for their involvement in 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 as “state land” — twice the amount declared in the previous record year in 1999, according to the settlement watchdog Peace Now.

This status grants the government full control over the land’s usage, inevitably resulting in its declaration as off-limits to Palestinians.

Some 490,000 Israeli settlers now reside in the West Bank alongside three million Palestinians.

The statement noted that Macron and King Abdullah also discussed the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza” and voiced “great concern about the perspective of an Israeli offensive on Rafah, where more than 1.5 million people are seeking refuge.” They reiterated their opposition to such an operation.

“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.”

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