Japan joins EU, US, Canada in sanctioning ‘violent settlers’

Japanese government announces its first-ever sanctions on Israeli citizens, accusing them of violent attacks on Palestinian Arabs.

By World Israel News Staff

Japan imposed sanctions on four Israeli citizens it accused of violence against Palestinian Arabs, marking the first time Tokyo has blacklisted Israelis.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Yinon Levi, Tzvi Bar-Yosef, Moshe Sharvit and Neriya Ben-Pazi would face financial sanctions in Japan, including the freezing of assets, restrictions on payments and other monetary transactions.

“For the purpose of contributing to the international efforts for achieving international peace aimed to resolve issues surrounding violent acts by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and in view of the measures taken by other major countries, the Government of Japan has introduced the following measures under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, based on the Cabinet Understanding of ‘Asset Freeze for Israeli settlers involved in violent acts as of July 23, 2024,’ the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The four have already been sanctioned by the Biden administration, with the European Union sanctioning Ben-Pazi and Levi for alleged attacks on Palestinian Arabs.

The Canadian government has also sanctioned farms linked to Bar-Yosef and Sharvit.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi cited similar measures taken by other G7 powers as the basis for Japan’s precedent-setting decision.

In addition to the U.S. and Canada, Britain has also imposed sanctions on some Israelis living in Judea and Samaria who have been accused of violence against Palestinian Arabs.

“Japan will steadily implement these asset freezing measures and continue to strongly urge the Israeli government to completely freeze settlement activities in cooperation with the international community, including the G7,” Hayashi said.