EU Foreign Ministers Approve Sanctions on Israeli Settlers Over Violence in West Bank

European Union foreign ministers approved new sanctions on Monday on Israeli settlers over rising violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying it was "high time we move from deadlock to delivery... extremisms and violence carry consequences."

“According to what the International Ahl al-Bayt News Agency reported, the United Nations warned that Israeli military attacks and settler violence in the occupied West Bank have led to the displacement of around 40,000 Palestinians over the past year”

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA

The BBC said the surge in attacks by settlers has followed the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, and it described settlements as illegal under international law on Israeli-occupied land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA

The BBC reported that EU officials said seven settlers or settler organisations would be sanctioned, while the EU also agreed to sanction more representatives from Hamas.

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar rejected the decision as "arbitrary and political" and said Israel would continue to "stand for the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland."

The BBC added that there was still technical and legal work before the sanctions are officially imposed.

POLITICO said the EU formally green-lit sanctions after Hungary dropped months of opposition following its change of government, and it quoted Kaja Kallas writing on X that "Extremisms and violence carry consequences."

POLITICO also reported that France and Sweden were backing restrictions on trade with settlements, while broader proposals such as suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement remained "deeply divisive" inside the bloc.

BBC

POLITICO quoted EU diplomats saying the sanctions package targeted individuals linked to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and it said Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand told POLITICO Ottawa was "considering additional actions that we may take" against settlers.

In response, POLITICO said Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar slammed the decision as "arbitrary and political," accusing the EU of targeting Israeli citizens "because of their political views and without any basis."

POLITICO linked the EU’s ability to act unanimously to the replacement of Viktor Orbán by Péter Magyar, and it quoted Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel saying the EU could no longer keep "closing our eyes."

The AhlulBayt News Agency reported that the United Nations warned Israeli military attacks and settler violence in the occupied West Bank have led to the displacement of around 40,000 Palestinians over the past year, citing a UN press briefing in New York where deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq cited OCHA figures.

“European Union imposes sanctions on Israeli settlers involved in violence in the West Bank The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on settlers linked to acts of violence in the West Bank against Palestinians, according to Kaja Kalas, the EU's foreign policy chief”

France 24

In that same report, Haq said demolitions carried out during the first week of May alone displaced 42 Palestinians, including 24 children, and the UN official added that attacks by Israeli forces and illegal armed settlers continue in various areas of the West Bank.

WAFA said the Palestinian Cabinet warned of escalating Israeli colonists’ terrorism crimes, reporting that colonist militias carried out a total of 154 attacks targeting 26 Palestinian villages over the past week, resulting in the killing of one Palestinian citizen and the injury of nine others.

WAFA also said the Cabinet welcomed the EU Foreign Ministers’ decision to green-light sanctions against settlers and settlement entities involved in acts of violence in the occupied West Bank.

In the BBC’s account of the wider context, it tied the EU’s move to the Gaza war that began in October 2023, noting that there has been a surge in attacks by settlers since then.