West Bank violence

EU sanctions against Israeli settlers for the first time

Israeli settlers at the Homesh "outpost" in the West Bank(Bild: APA/AFP/Menahem KAHANA)

The EU is now also reacting to the increasing violence by radical Israeli settlers in the West Bank and wants to impose sanctions. This was agreed by the foreign ministers of the member states on Monday.

The background to the sanction plans are acts of violence 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 in the Middle East conflict. It is crucial for Germany to make it clear that neither is in line with international law, said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on the project.

Punishment of serious human rights violations
The EU states are basing the punitive measures on the punishment of serious human rights violations. Persons affected must then have their accounts and other assets in the EU frozen. In addition, these individuals will no longer be allowed to enter the EU or do business with EU citizens.

Pressure on the Israeli judiciary is increased
The names of those affected are to be published in the EU Official Journal once the formal sanctions decision has been taken. According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the first step will involve a single-digit number of people against whom charges have been filed but no criminal proceedings have yet been initiated by Israel. According to diplomats, the EU sanctions should ideally lead to the Israeli judiciary becoming more involved in the prosecution of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages and olive groves. 

Hungary has so far blocked the project
The sanctions against settlers should have been decided weeks ago. However, the Hungarian government, which is considered particularly pro-Israel in the EU, only signaled at top level on Monday that it would no longer block the plans. Part of the agreement is that there will also be new punitive measures against Hamas.