Sanctions on violent Israeli settlers, EU finds political agreement

Brussels – The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, has succeeded in the feat of getting all member countries to agree on the proposal for a first package of sanctions on Israeli settlers responsible for violent actions against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories. Today (March 18), at the meeting of foreign ministers, the 27 countries found “political agreement” and will now move forward “for full adoption as soon as possible.”

Borrell himself announced this at a press conference on the sidelines of the proceedings. The restrictive measures will be individual and consist of banning entry to EU territory and freezing assets held in the EU. Hungary’s opposition, which had prevented the unanimity needed for the political go-ahead at the last Foreign Affairs Council of February 19, was thus overcome. Budapest “abstained,” Borrell said, stepping aside and letting the dossier move forward.

“We have already prepared the list of people to be sanctioned; now we just need to submit it to COREPER (the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU, ed. note) for adoption,” the head of European diplomacy continued. This would bring the EU into line with similar measures already taken by the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as unilaterally by France and Belgium.

To increase pressure on the Israeli authorities, whose military response to the October October 7 Hamas attacks has claimed more than 30,000 lives and is causing a severe humanitarian crisis in the Strip, the EU foreign ministers also reportedly proposed to invite their Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, back to the next EU Foreign Affairs Council. Responding to a question about what more effective action Brussels could take in light of the famine alarm famine in Gaza, Borrell appeared resigned and replied, “The only action is political and diplomatic pressure on Israel.”