EU countries agree to impose new sanctions on Israeli settlers

Brussels (ANTARA) - EU member states have agreed to new sanctions against Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians, after months of deadlock, according to a senior EU diplomat. This EU decision comes amid rising violence by settlers and the expansion of settlements in Israel’s occupied West Bank. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas stated on social media platform X on Monday (11/5) that the foreign ministers of EU member states have approved the step. The decision was taken amid rising violence by settlers and the expansion of settlements in Israel’s occupied West Bank. “It’s time to move from deadlock to real action,” Kallas said. The EU has not yet published details on the individuals and entities that will be targeted by these new sanctions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot mentioned on social media platform X that the EU is imposing sanctions on major Israeli organisations and their leaders for their support of “extremist and violent colonisation in the West Bank”. He emphasised that such “serious and intolerable” actions must be stopped immediately. However, EU diplomats failed to agree on further measures, including a ban on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank or the suspension of the main trade agreement with Israel. Since 2023, more than 5,900 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence, including around 2,000 people this year alone, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).