The Japanese government on Tuesday decided to freeze the assets of four Israeli settlers in the West Bank for violence against Palestinians, in the first such sanction of its kind by the country.
The move comes amid a sharp rise in violence in the occupied West Bank since the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
“The problem is becoming serious,” the chief Cabinet secretary told a press conference, pointing to violence and threatening actions committed by radicalized settlers against the Palestinian community, including cases in which Palestinians have been forced to vacate their homes.
The West Bank, one of two Palestinian territories, has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and settlement activities have expanded. The other territory, the Gaza Strip, has been controlled by Hamas and bombarded by Israeli forces following the Oct. 7 assault.
Japan has taken the position that Israeli settlement activities violate international law and undermine the viability of a two-state solution, which would see the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
“Working together with the international community, including the Group of Seven members, we will continue to strongly urge the Israeli government to fully freeze settlement activities,” Hayashi said.
Britain and the United States, both G7 members, have already sanctioned the four Israeli settlers, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.