Now the EU is also responding to the increasing violence by radical Israeli settlers in the West Bank and wants to impose sanctions. The foreign ministers of the member states agreed on this on Monday.
The background to the sanctions plans are violent acts by extremist settlers against Palestinians – especially after the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7. The attacks, like the expansion of settlement activity itself, are seen as one of the obstacles to efforts to find a long-term peace solution to the Middle East conflict. It is crucial that Germany makes it clear that neither is in accordance with international law, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said of the project.
Punishment of serious human rights violations
EU countries rely on punitive measures to punish serious human rights violations. Those affected will then have to have their accounts and other assets frozen in the EU. In addition, people are no longer allowed to enter the EU or do business with EU citizens.
The pressure on the Israeli judiciary is increasing
The names of those affected will be published in the EU’s Official Journal after the formal sanctions decision is still pending. According to information from the German news agency, the first step involves a single-digit number of people against whom complaints have been filed, but so far there have been no criminal charges from the Israeli side. Ideally, according to diplomats, the EU sanctions should lead to the Israeli judiciary becoming more committed to prosecuting violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages and olive groves.
Hungary has so far blocked the project
With the sanctions, the EU is following the example of the US. They have already imposed punitive measures against extremist Israeli settlers. The punitive measures against the colonists should actually have been decided weeks ago. However, the Hungarian government, which is considered particularly Israel-friendly in the EU, only announced at top level on Monday that it no longer wishes to block the plans. Part of the agreement also includes new punitive measures against Hamas.
Source: Krone
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