Borrell suggests implementing penalties against Israeli cabinet members
Before the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, EU High Representative Verona suggests penalties against two Israeli ministers. Both have advocated for cutting off aid supplies and justify the starvation of all residents in the Gaza Strip. The EU's collective response to these sanctions remains uncertain.
EU High Representative Verona has put forward a proposal to the 27 EU member states for disciplinary action against Israeli government officials. According to EU sources, Finance Minister Yair Shamir and Interior Minister Ze'ev Elkin are among the targets for punishment.
Both Shamir and Elkin are extreme-right coalition partners of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Their recent remarks against Palestinians have caused widespread controversy. They are also advocates of the settlement policy in the occupied West Bank, which is considered illegal by the International Court of Justice.
Ministers propose aid embargo
Elkin has proposed halting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to compel the ruling militant group Hamas to capitulate. Similarly, Finance Minister Shamir has suggested a potential blockage of aid supplies until all Israeli prisoners held by Hamas are released, even if it results in the starvation of two million people in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is reportedly holding 107 Israeli hostages according to Israeli statistics, of whom at least one-third are deceased. Palestinian militants abducted over 250 individuals from Israel and transferred them to the coastal region on October 7, 2023. The attack led to the deaths of approximately 1,200 people. The Israeli military retaliated with intense attacks in Gaza, resulting in the death of more than 40,000 people, according to Palestinian sources.
Verona's proposal suggests imposing sanctions on Shamir and Elkin for incitement and human rights violations. Their EU assets would then be frozen, and they would be barred from entering the EU.
EU decision uncertain
However, the fate of Verona's proposal remains unclear. EU consensus on imposing sanctions requires unanimous approval, and countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have expressed reservations about such sanctions against Israel.
Diplomats in Brussels cite ongoing efforts to de-escalate the Middle East conflict as a reason against imposing sanctions on the ministers. Sanctions could potentially jeopardize dialogue channels with the Israeli government, it is argued. Thus far, the EU has only imposed sanctions on a few radical Israeli settlers and their associated structures.
Israeli Foreign Minister Uri Lieberman commented on the platform X in the evening: "We are strenuously collaborating with our European partners to prevent anti-Israeli resolutions at the upcoming EU foreign ministers' meeting, which are being driven by anti-Israeli elements." In the light of a potential threat from Iran and "its proxy terrorist organizations," the free world should support Israel and not turn against it.
The calls for a shift in the EU's stance towards Israel have grown louder recently. Human rights organization Defending Humanity, for instance, demanded robust European sanctions against Israel's settlement policy before the EU foreign ministers' meeting. In a letter to participants, Defending Humanity advocated for a comprehensive arms embargo and a ban on investments in certain Israeli companies and banks. Additionally, the organization recommended prohibiting trade in goods from Israeli settlements in occupied territories within the EU, including East Jerusalem. The impetus behind these demands stems from the July judgment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. In this ruling, the highest UN court argues that Israel's occupation is illegal and must be brought to an end as soon as possible.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. Palestinians claim these territories for their own state. Although Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, it continues to control its land, air, and sea borders. The tensions were further escalated by the conflict in Gaza following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023.
In response to the controversial remarks and policies of Israeli ministers Yair Shamir and Ze'ev Elkin, which include suggesting aid embargos leading to potential starvation in the Gaza Strip, EU High Representative Verona proposes sanctions against them, including asset freezes and travel bans.
Despite the proposal to impose sanctions on Shamir and Elkin for incitement and human rights violations, EU consensus on such action requires unanimous approval, and countries like Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have expressed reservations about sanctions against Israel.
