Israel-Palestine

Settler violence – EU sanctions youth group

The EU has now published the names of the Israelis and organizations sanctioned for settler violence in the West Bank. These are four men, a radical youth group and a right-wing extremist group.

The men are accused, for example, of torture, humiliation and violations of property rights. The radical youth group Hillitop Youth is known for acts of violence against Palestinians and their villages in the West Bank.

According to the EU, the radical right-wing Jewish racist group Lehava uses violence and incites others to violence against people from Palestine, but also against followers of Christianity and Messianic Judaism. The members are said to have chanted "Death to the Arabs" and called on people to take up arms at rallies.

Jewish settlements in the West Bank(Bild: APA/AFP/AHMAD GHARABLI)

Harass Arab-Jewish couples
They are also said to have harassed and attacked Arab-Jewish couples and protested against Jewish-Muslim weddings and queer people.

As reported , the EU member states decided on Friday morning to take punitive measures against settler violence. Those affected will no longer be allowed to enter the European Union or do business with its citizens. In addition, existing accounts in the EU and other assets will be frozen (see video above).

Obstacle to long-term peace
Attacks against Palestinians and settlement construction in the West Bank are seen as obstacles to long-term peace in the Middle East, especially after the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7. The EU has repeatedly condemned both, but has not yet adopted any sanctions.

The US government had previously imposed punitive measures against extremist Israeli settlers. It also announced new ones on Friday. This is said to affect two organizations that had already provided financial support to extremist settlers who had already been sanctioned. In addition, a close confidant of the radical Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was targeted by the US judiciary. He is said to be the founder and leader of the radical right-wing Jewish group Lehava. The bans are the same as in the EU: the freezing of assets in the United States, no business with people in the USA.

One reason for the tense situation in the West Bank is that controversial settlements have been expanded since Israel's conquest in the 1967 Six-Day War. Around half a million Israeli settlers now live in the area - in the midst of around three million Palestinians.