EU formally green-lights sanctions against Israeli settlers

EU foreign ministers on Monday formally approved sanctions against Israeli settlers over attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, after Hungary dropped months of opposition following its change of government. “EU Foreign Ministers just gave the go-ahead to sanction Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians,” EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X after the Foreign Affairs Council wrapped up in Brussels. “They also agreed new sanctions on leading Hamas figures. It was high time we move from deadlock to delivery. Extremisms and violence carry consequences.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot struck a similarly forceful tone. “It’s done,” he wrote on X. “The European Union is sanctioning today the main Israeli organisations guilty of supporting the extremist and violent colonisation of the West Bank, as well as their leaders,” he said, adding that “these most serious and intolerable acts must cease without delay.” The sanctions target individuals linked to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, but several member states are already pushing for tougher measures. France and Sweden are backing restrictions on trade with settlements, while broader proposals such as suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement remain deeply divisive inside the bloc. “We had discussions on the trade issues, limiting trade with the illegal Israeli settlements,” Kallas told reporters after the meeting. “There was a call by many member states to take this forward, so we will continue to work with the Commission on presenting proposals.” Israel swiftly pushed back. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar slammed the decision as “arbitrary and political,” accusing the EU of targeting Israeli citizens “because of their political views and without any basis.” “Israel has stood, stands, and will continue to stand for the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland,” Saar wrote on X. EU diplomats had expected the sanctions to finally clear after Hungary’s change in government and incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar signaled he would not stand in the way of broadly supported sanction packages, unlike his predecessor, Viktor Orbán, who spent months blocking the package despite support from every other EU country. Arriving in Brussels earlier Monday, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said the EU could no longer keep “closing our eyes,” adding that “there is no measure that we are able to take, simply because there are always countries that are hesitant.” Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said the Netherlands was pushing for “a full ban on products from the illegal settlements,” while Finland’s Elina Valtonen said she looked forward to “sanctioning violent settlers on the West Bank.” The agreement marks the first time since the outbreak of the Gaza crisis that the EU has managed to unanimously back retributive measures against Israel.