Kaja Kallas Says EU Foreign Ministers Lack Unanimity To Sanction Itamar Ben-Gvir

European foreign ministers met in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss hardening the bloc’s position on illegal Israeli settlements and the Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, but EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said unanimity to sanction him was lacking.

Kallas told reporters, "Many member states have also proposed to sanction Minister Ben Gvir, but no consensus on that was reached today," after the gathering of the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers.

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The Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said he would block the move, arguing it would boost Ben-Gvir’s popularity in Israel before elections later this year.

The National also reported that EU sanctions require the unanimous backing of all member states, with a core of staunch Israeli allies effectively blocking the move from going forward.

Alongside the Ben-Gvir dispute, Kallas said the EU would also look to lay out options for restricting trade with Israeli settlements after calls from some member states during the Luxembourg meeting.

Kallas said, "I will ask the EU’s executive to prepare “a list of options for possible trade measures" ahead of the next meeting of EU foreign ministers in July," as she pressed the European Commission to act.

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The National quoted Jean-Noel Barrot calling for Europe to prevent the importation into Europe of products originating from illegal settlements in the West Bank, saying, "We cannot accept that Europe, directly or indirectly, should support these illegal activities through its trade."

RTE.ie added that Kallas hoped to bring forward any legal proposals from the Commission to the next meeting of EU foreign ministers in July, while noting that a ban would require a legal proposal and that diplomats said a weighted majority does not yet exist.

The dispute over sanctions highlighted divisions within the EU, with Kallas confirming that member states failed to reach consensus on possible sanctions against Ben-Gvir and that no immediate sanctions were expected.

Brussels Morning Newspaper said, “At this stage there is no consensus among member states regarding sanctions,” describing the deadlock as a result of negotiations that could not produce the unanimous support required to advance sanctions.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Western governments expressed outrage after Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting activists who had intended to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza being pinned to the ground.

In parallel, the EU’s internal process remained constrained by unanimity rules, while Kallas said she would convey the request to the Commission to prepare options on limiting trade with illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank.