The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on prominent Israeli settler leader Daniella Weiss, accusing her of inciting and supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the action “demonstrates our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation." The sanctions target Weiss, 79, along with her radical settler organisation Nachala, which has also been blacklisted.

Weiss, a central figure in Israel’s settlement enterprise for decades, has been involved in establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — territories captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war. The international community overwhelmingly considers these settlements illegal under international law, a stance reaffirmed by a 2023 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice. Israel disputes this interpretation.

The UK sanctions list accuses Weiss of “threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting acts of aggression and violence” against Palestinians. In addition to Weiss and Nachala, the UK sanctioned two other settlers — Zohar Sabah and Harel David Libi — as well as two illegal outposts, Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm, and the company Libi Construction and Infrastructure LTD.

Weiss, who was recently featured in the BBC documentary The Settlers by Louis Theroux, has openly advocated for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza. In an interview last year with BBC News, she stated: “Gaza Arabs will not stay in the Gaza Strip. Who will stay? Jews.” She suggested Palestinians could be “enabled” to relocate elsewhere, saying: “Africa is big. Canada is big. The world will absorb the people of Gaza.”

Responding to the sanctions, Weiss claimed that hundreds of families were “prepared and ready to implement settlement in Gaza — immediately.” Nachala echoed this stance, calling for “conquest, immigration and settlement in Gaza” and urging Israel to continue its war efforts “until the enemy is destroyed.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded sharply, calling the UK’s measures “unjustified and regrettable.” A spokesperson accused the British government of acting out of “anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations,” and warned the decision could damage the UK’s own economy.

In a further escalation, the UK government also announced it would pause ongoing free trade talks with Israel, stating that “it is not possible to advance discussions” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government due to its “egregious policies” in both the West Bank and Gaza.

This move follows a joint statement earlier in the week from the leaders of the UK, France, and Canada, urging Israel to halt its military operations and allow immediate humanitarian access to Gaza.

Israel has since agreed to permit a limited amount of food into Gaza, ending an 11-week blockade designed to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages. However, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher criticized the step as grossly inadequate, calling the aid “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”