Settlers Demand Oslo Accords Abolition Amid European Sanctions

In response to European sanctions targeting Israeli settlements, the Israeli settler movement leadership called on Tuesday to abolish the Oslo Accords, expand settlements into Areas A and B of the West Bank, and dismantle the Palestinian Authority. Concurrently, settler and Israeli circles are urging the United States to take counter-measures.

According to Israeli Public Broadcasting (Kan 11), Yisrael Gantz, head of the Yesha Council (representing West Bank settlers), met with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to discuss potential U.S. actions against the sanctions imposed by Britain, France, and other nations on settlements. This was the second meeting between Gantz and Huckabee in a short period, following a lengthy discussion on Monday at the ambassador's residence.

Huckabee stated in a BBC interview on Tuesday that if Britain continues to "push sanctions against settlements," there will "undoubtedly be an American response." These actions occur amid escalating European sanctions due to increased settler violence in the West Bank and settlement expansion, particularly construction plans in the E1 area near Ma'ale Adumim.

An Israeli court in Jerusalem rejected petitions on Tuesday to halt construction plans in E1, which include thousands of settlement units and would geographically divide Palestinian areas. Israel is also considering measures against France and other countries that announced sanctions on settlements, similar to actions taken by Foreign Minister Gidon Sa'ar against Britain.

Sources told Kan 11 that proposed measures mirror the action against London, which involved expelling British representatives from the Gaza Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat and closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem. The British Consulate is expected to close within weeks, and Sa'ar has formally requested British representatives at the Kiryat Gat center to depart immediately.

A British official called the Israeli response "regrettable," stating that British ministers view the situation in the West Bank as a "moral and security issue" that required action. The official clarified that British steps target "extremists and violence," not Israel itself, and noted that the U.S. had requested Britain send representatives to Kiryat Gat. The official added that an Israeli action "achieves nothing positive."

These developments follow an announcement by 12 countries, including Britain and France, of their intention to impose restrictions or support European measures against trade with Israeli settlements, citing ongoing settlement expansion and rising settler violence in the West Bank.