Amnesty demands sanctions on Israeli officials and an end to settler attacks in the West Bank

Amnesty International has called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israeli officials involved in violations of international law, and to take urgent action to stop the escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, coinciding with the start of the olive harvest season. The organization said that settler attacks on Palestinian farmers, including the destruction and theft of crops, along with restrictions imposed by the Israeli army, are causing severe human suffering and economic losses. It pointed to a series of attacks in the villages of Khirbet Abu Falah and At-Taybeh east of Ramallah over the past weekend, which targeted a photojournalist for the Washington Post and a delegation of European diplomats. It called on states to stop trade and investment that contribute to the continuation of the occupation, and to impose sanctions on Israeli officials for whom there is evidence of involvement in serious violations of international law, stressing that relying solely on statements of condemnation without concrete measures allows violations to continue.