The European Union has taken a significant step by agreeing to impose sanctions on certain violent Israeli settlers, breaking a prolonged stalemate on the issue. Despite this progress, some view the measures as minimal. Kaja Kallas, serving as the EU’s foreign policy chief, emphasized the consequences of violence and extremism, underlining the EU’s stance against such actions.
Despite this agreement, the EU’s 27 member countries remain divided over implementing more severe trade sanctions. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced that the EU is targeting key Israeli organizations and their leaders who support the aggressive colonization of the West Bank. Describing these acts as severe and unacceptable, Barrot urged for their immediate cessation.
The complete list of individuals affected by the sanctions has not been disclosed, but it reportedly excludes two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who were sanctioned by the UK last June for inciting violence against Palestinian communities. The stalemate was resolved when Hungary’s new pro-EU administration lifted its veto, previously upheld by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Additionally, the EU plans to sanction prominent figures within Hamas, according to Kallas.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, criticized the EU’s decision, accusing it of politically motivated actions against Israeli citizens and organizations based on their political beliefs, without justifiable grounds. The sanctions target a limited group of settlers, falling short of the expectations of some member nations. France and Sweden, for example, have advocated for tariffs on imports from illegal settlements, stressing the need for increased pressure on Israel to halt its settlement practices.
Sweden’s foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, considers tariffs on products from illegal settlements as a feasible solution. However, implementing a ban on such products requires unanimous agreement among the EU member states, whereas tariffs can be enforced through a majority vote. Under the existing EU-Israel association agreement, goods from occupied territories do not benefit from preferential trade terms, although their trade is not completely barred.