France wants European Union to consider sanctioning Israeli settlers

France said on Wednesday that the European Union should consider sanctions on Israeli settlers who have targeted Palestinians in the West Bank as an option and that talks at the EU to impose sanctions on Hamas commanders were progressing.

United Nations figures show that daily settler attacks have more than doubled since the start of the war on 7 October. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed in the violence this year in the occupied West Bank, including in attacks by settlers.

"We believe that the international community has a role to play to end these acts of violence which are extremely destabilising for the region, but also harm the prospects for a two state-solution," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre told a weekly news briefing.

She said no options were excluded, including European Union sanctions on violent individuals.