EU ready to impose sanctions against violent Israeli settlers

Brussels – The plan of imposing restrictive measures on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank has been on the table of the 27 EU countries since December. Gradually, they were all convinced; only the obstructionism of Viktor Orban’s Hungary remained. But on Monday, March 18, EU foreign ministers are expected to reach a political agreement on a first package of sanctions against settlers who have been guilty of acts of violence against the Palestinian people.

According to a senior European official, the EU will proceed in parallel with the introduction of new sanctions against Hamas. The two schemes are expected to be approved separately: first, “the one on sex crimes committed by Hamas in the October 7 attack,” then the package on settlers. Indeed, some member states would set as a red line the approval of sanctions against Hamas before proceeding with those directed at illegal Israeli settlements. But “there is no member state at the moment that opposes the two regimes,” the source confirmed.

The political agreement in principle is thus expected to arrive at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, to be formalized at a later date. Since October 7 alone, the United Nations Office OCHA-OPTA has recorded 646 attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians, causing injuries, property damage and nine casualties.

After the sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, which have banned some extremist settlers from entering their national territory, the EU also seems determined to move. Also pressed by Belgium, Spain, and Ireland, which have repeatedly stated that they are ready to proceed independently if Brussels fails to reach an agreement. Just today, the US State Department added three more settlers to its list and, for the first time, also two entire Israeli settlements in the West Bank.