France seeks allies in Europe for coordinated sanctions against Israel. The reason for the irritation of Paris
France is trying to coordinate its pressure on Israel with several countries, through sanctions against individuals involved in the violence in the West Bank, three European diplomats told Reuters on Saturday.
The measures would include the blocking of some assets and travel bans, but the lists of people targeted by each country may be different, say Reuters sources, taken by Agerpres.
Those efforts take place in the context of the escalation of acts of violence committed by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which have provoked the irritation of some Western states towards the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the level of the European Union, efforts to take tougher measures against Israel are blocked, which has led several countries to the conclusion that sanctions at the national level, coordinated between several states, could be the best current option.
Two of the diplomats with whom Reuters spoke said that an announcement to this effect could be made in the coming days.
Another diplomat stated that among the countries with which France is trying to collaborate would be the United Kingdom and Norway; it is not clear what other partners might join them.
The foreign ministries in London and Oslo did not comment.
On June 12, a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups with about ten foreign ministers would take place in Paris. French officials have said they intend to keep the Palestinian issue on the international agenda, although the wars in Iran and Lebanon divert attention from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
