The Council of the European Union has added four individuals and two organizations to the EUʼs global human rights sanctions regime.
The far-right Jewish group Lehava and the radical youth group Hilltop Youth, whose followers are known for violent actions against Palestinians and their settlements in the West Bank, were sanctioned.
The sanctions list includes two leading members of the Young Hills, Meir Ettinger and Elisha Yered, as well as Neria Ben Pazi and Inon Levy, all of whom the EU Council says are involved in deadly attacks on Palestinians.
They are "responsible for serious human rights violations against Palestinians," including torture and violations of the right to property and family life of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Currently, sanctions for human rights violations are applied to 108 individuals and legal entities and 28 organizations from a number of countries. They are prohibited from entering the EU, their assets are frozen, and they are also prohibited from providing them with funds directly or indirectly.
After the Hamas attack on Israel, extremist Israeli settlers have become more active in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, intimidating and persecuting the local Palestinian population.