EU greenlights sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlers
DW.com • • world
Key Points:
- The European Union's foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, following the ousting of Hungary's Viktor Orban, who had previously blocked the measures.
- The sanctions target three settlers and four settler organizations linked to violence against Palestinians amid settlement expansions, with identities yet to be disclosed, and also include new sanctions on leading Hamas figures.
- EU officials, including Kaja Kallas and Jean-Noel Barrot, emphasized that extremism and violence carry consequences, while Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the sanctions as arbitrary and politically motivated.
- The sanctions will begin the EU's legislative process and are expected to enter into force later, though there is no consensus among member states on broader measures such as restricting trade with Israel.
- Some EU countries, like Sweden, have called for harsher actions, including tariffs on products from Israeli settlements and sanctions on Israeli ministers supporting settlement expansion.