The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on X that “it was high time we move from deadlock to delivery.” [Thierry Monasse/Getty Images]
The European Union approved a new wave of sanctions targeting Israeli settlers and organisations linked to violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank during a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers on Monday.
EU foreign ministers backed the sanctions package, which targets seven individuals and organisations accused of involvement in settler violence, as well as members of Hamas.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed the move on social media, writing: “It’s done. The European Union is sanctioning today the main Israeli organisations guilty of supporting the extremist and violent colonisation of the West Bank, as well as their leaders.”
“The most serious and intolerable acts must cease without delay,” he added.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also welcomed the decision, saying on X that “it was high time we move from deadlock to delivery. Extremism and violence carry consequences”.
The sanctions package, the EU’s third targeting Israeli settlers, had been proposed by the European Commission last year but was blocked for months by Hungary’s former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Israel.
However, following Orban’s ousting, newly elected Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar signalled that Budapest would no longer veto the measures, paving the way for their approval.
It remains unclear which specific settlers, organisations, or Hamas members have been sanctioned.
According to Bloomberg, however, Israel’s far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were ultimately removed from the package in order to secure support among EU member states.
Both ministers have played leading roles in expanding Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, including backing large-scale settlement projects such as the controversial E1 plan, which critics say would effectively split the West Bank in two.
The sanctions come amid growing international criticism of rising settler attacks across the occupied territory.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that settlers had carried out around 760 attacks causing casualties or property damage since the start of the year, killing at least 13 Palestinians.
Settler violence has surged since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza and has further escalated during the ongoing US-Israeli confrontation with Iran.
Alongside the sanctions package, EU ministers are also expected to discuss a French-Swedish proposal to impose tariffs on goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements.
Other measures under discussion include a Spanish-led initiative to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement governing trade, political relations, and research cooperation between the bloc and Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the sanctions as “arbitrary and outrageous”.
“Israel has stood, stands, and will continue to stand for the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland,” he said.
Under international law, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is considered illegal, as are Israeli settlements built on occupied territory.
Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan during the 1967 war and has since expanded settlements across the territory. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
