Groups Urge Sanctions on Israeli General
Combatants for Peace asks Western foreign ministers to sanction Major General Avi Bluth over settler entry into West Bank homes near Jericho.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Commentary
Combatants for Peace sent letters to the British, Australian and Canadian foreign ministers and the EU foreign policy chief requesting urgent sanctions against Major General Avi Bluth, commander of Israel's Central Command. The group says Bluth helped facilitate the entry of Israeli settler families into homes purchased on the outskirts of Jericho in the occupied West Bank.
Why it matters
The appeal targets a senior military commander rather than settlers themselves, placing the question of state involvement in settlement expansion at the center of the dispute. It also brings the role of foreign government funding for Combatants for Peace into the public debate over the group's credibility.
The appeal is based on letters from Combatants for Peace, which states that Bluth held discussions with settler leaders before the families entered the homes. The allegations have not been independently confirmed in the source, and the group's account is the sole basis presented.
The players
Avi Bluth
Major General Avi Bluth is the commander of Israel's Central Command, the military authority responsible for the occupied West Bank.
Combatants for Peace
Combatants for Peace is a joint Israeli-Palestinian grassroots movement of former fighters and activists working for nonviolent resolution of the conflict, which receives funding from foreign governments and institutions including Germany and the European Union.
Shai Glick
Shai Glick is director-general of the Israeli organization Btsalmo, and he criticized the sanctions request as hypocritical.
The details
Attorney Eitay Mack sent the letters on behalf of Combatants for Peace and disclosed the appeal in a post on X. The group alleges Bluth asked that military commanders in the field not be informed of the plan until the families had established themselves inside the properties near Jericho.
Timeline
The article on the sanctions appeal was published on 10 November 2026.
Big Picture
The appeal extends a long-running international dispute over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, shifting attention from settlement policy to the individual military officers accused of enabling settler entry into homes. It also reflects renewed scrutiny of advocacy groups that rely on foreign government funding.
International readers following Israel's policy on the West Bank may see changes in how foreign governments respond to requests for sanctions against military officials. The dispute also bears on how advocacy groups funded abroad are judged in public debate.
The takeaway
Requests to sanction individual officials put pressure on the link between military command and settlement activity. Readers should weigh the group's allegations alongside any official responses as they emerge.
Further reading
For more analysis of this kind of dispute, see the site's Commentary section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Middle East Monitor.
