EU Furious! Finally Imposes Punishment on Israeli Settlers Here
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The European Union (EU) has finally agreed to impose strict sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank and several key Hamas figures. This long-awaited agreement was reached during a meeting of foreign ministers from member states on Monday (11/05/2026), after months of political deadlock.
Quoting Al Jazeera, the sanctions against the Israeli settlers had previously been stalled due to a veto from the Hungarian government under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. However, a change in the wind came after Hungary’s new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, who took office last Saturday, decided to lift the veto and pave the way for the EU’s action.
The sanctions package targets three Israeli settlers and four settlement organisations deemed responsible for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. As of this report, the detailed identities of the individuals and organisations have not been publicly disclosed.
“It is time for us to move from deadlock to real action. Extremism and violence have consequences,” said EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas in a social media post after the agreement was reached.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed Hungary’s change of stance and emphasised that the EU is now sanctioning major Israeli organisations guilty of supporting extremist colonisation accompanied by violence. He urged that such intolerable serious actions be stopped without delay.
“The most serious and intolerable actions must be stopped without delay,” Barrot stated.
The Israeli government immediately strongly condemned the EU’s move and reaffirmed its position that Jewish citizens have the right to settle in the occupied West Bank territory. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that the EU had chosen an arbitrary and political way to impose sanctions on its citizens and entities.
“The EU has chosen, in an arbitrary and political manner, to impose sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities because of their political views and without any basis,” Saar said.
In a similar vein, right-wing National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir launched a fierce condemnation, calling the EU an antisemitic group. He asserted that settlement efforts would never be deterred by sanction threats and would continue to build and defend Israeli land.
“Expecting an antisemitic union to make a moral decision is like expecting the sun to rise in the west. While our enemies attack and kill Jews, the EU tries to tie the hands of those defending themselves,” Ben Gvir said.
Sanctions Against Hamas Leadership
In addition to targeting the Israeli side, Jean-Noel Barrot stated that EU ministers also decided to impose sanctions on the leadership of the Palestinian group Hamas. This step was taken as a consequence of the attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people.
“These sanctions are aimed at the main Hamas leaders, who are responsible for the worst antisemitic massacre in our history since the Shoah (Holocaust), in which 51 French citizens lost their lives. This terrorist movement must be disarmed and excluded from any participation in the future of Palestine,” Barrot said.
In response, senior Hamas official Basem Naim accused the EU of political hypocrisy and racism. He argued that the EU had equated fascist executioners committing genocide with victims simply defending themselves in accordance with international law.
“This equates the fascist executioners who pride themselves on committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, a rogue state that violates every international law, with victims defending themselves according to all laws and statutes,” Naim said.