European Union foreign ministers formally approved sanctions against Israeli settlers who carry out attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on the 11th of May, writes Politico.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas wrote on the X after a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers that the green light has been given to apply sanctions to Israeli settlers who carry out aggression against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. An agreement has also been reached on sanctions against leading figures in the terrorist organization Hamas. She emphasized that the time has come to move from waiting to action, and that extremism and violence have consequences.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has taken a similarly harsh stance. He wrote on X that the EU will impose sanctions on Israeli organizations and their leaders who are guilty of supporting extremism and violent colonization of the West Bank. The minister stressed that these serious and unacceptable actions must be stopped immediately.
The sanctions will target individuals involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, but several member states of the bloc have already called for stricter measures. For example, France and Sweden have called for trade restrictions with Israeli settlements.
Kallas told reporters that discussions had also taken place on restricting trade with illegal settlements:
“There was a call by many member states to take this forward, so we will continue to work with the Commission on presenting proposals.” Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand was also in Brussels, and told Politico that Ottawa was also considering additional sanctions against Israeli settlers.
Israel has reacted sharply to the EU sanctions. The country’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, criticized the decision as arbitrary and politicized, and accused the EU of unnecessarily endangering Israeli citizens because of their political views. He said Israel has always existed and will exist on the right of Jews to settle in the heart of its land.
EU diplomats had hoped that the sanctions would finally be implemented after a change of government in Hungary, and new Prime Minister Péter Magyar has signaled that he will not stand in the way of a sanctions package that has broad public support. His predecessor, Viktor Orbán, blocked the sanctions for months.
Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Xavier Bettel, said on arrival in Brussels that the EU should not continue to turn a blind eye. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said his country was working to completely stop purchasing products from illegal settlements, while Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said she was looking forward to sanctions against violent Israeli settlers.
Read also: EU rejects former German chancellor as Ukraine peace negotiator
The post EU gives green light to sanctions against violent Israeli settlers appeared first on Baltic News Network.
