EU approves new sanctions on Israeli settlers over West Bank violence
Summary
The European Union has approved new sanctions targeting Israeli settlers and their leaders who support violent settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Israel criticized the move and pledged to defend Jewish settlement rights. The sanctions came after Hungary’s government change, which removed previous vetoes against the EU action.Key Facts
- The EU sanctioned Israeli settlers involved in violent and extremist settlement activity in the West Bank.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the sanctions on social media.
- Israel called the sanctions “arbitrary and political” and vowed to support Jewish settlements.
- Hungary’s change in government allowed the EU to lift a previous blockade on the sanctions.
- Seven settlers or settler organizations were blacklisted by the EU.
- The EU also agreed to sanction some representatives from the Palestinian group Hamas.
- Violence in the West Bank has increased since early 2023 amid the Gaza war.
- Some EU countries want to ban products made in Israeli settlements, but no agreement exists yet on broader trade restrictions.
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