WEST BANK — France banned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country on June 9. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot cited Smotrich's promotion of West Bank annexation, the resettlement of Gaza, and the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority as reasons for the ban.

On the same day, France also banned four leaders of settler organizations and 21 individual settlers from entering the country. Additionally, France, the U.K., Canada, and Norway imposed sanctions on networks that finance settler violence. Australia and New Zealand coordinated with these countries on the sanctions.

Amnesty International accused Israel of conducting a state-sponsored campaign of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank on June 10. The Israeli military rejected Amnesty International's accusation.

Monitoring organization Peace Now reported that the Israeli cabinet moved to fund 69 settlements under a plan valued at $388 million. The group said the funding plan bypassed standard planning procedures. It also reported that the government has approved or legalized 103 settlements since late 2022, with 51 of these being entirely new. Many newly funded settlement sites are located in the South Hebron Hills and the Jordan Valley, according to the organization.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that over 100 incidents have damaged or destroyed more than 190 water and sanitation structures across the West Bank since January. This infrastructure damage cut off at least 10 Masafer Yatta communities from the water network, according to the U.N. office.