World
Western sanctions target Israeli settlers as Tel Aviv expands West Bank settlements
Western sanctions against Israeli settlers have failed to deter Tel Aviv from expanding settlements and military control in the West Bank. France banned Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and six Western nations sanctioned networks financing settler violence. Amnesty International accused Israel of state-sponsored ethnic cleansing, while Israel approved $388 million for settlements and established its first permanent military base in Area A since 1993.