The EU imposes further sanctions on 'extremist' Israeli settlers
The European Union imposed additional sanctions on "extremist" Israeli settlers on Monday. The penalties target five individuals and three organizations, as the EU announced on Monday. They are responsible for "grave and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank" and the blocking of aid deliveries in the Gaza Strip, the EU stated on Monday. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes.
The European Union had already imposed sanctions on four "extremist" Israeli settlers and two militant settler groups in April due to allegations of violence against Palestinians.
The German government condemned the new sanctions. "Our position is clear: Israel's settlement policy violates international law and is an obstacle to peace in the Middle East," a spokesperson for the Foreign Office told the news portal "t-online" on Monday. "The increasing settler violence in the West Bank is digging deeper trenches of hate. It threatens the stability of the West Bank, which is already hanging by a thread."
Since the war in Gaza in October, violence in the West Bank has also increased. At least 565 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army or Israeli settlers according to official Palestinian figures. The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. The war in Gaza was triggered by a large-scale attack by Hamas fighters and other militant Palestinian groups on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli figures, 1195 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
In response to the attack, Israel has been militarily active in Gaza since then. According to figures from the health ministry controlled by Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, over 38,660 people have been killed.
The EU's decision to impose entry barriers, such as travel bans and asset freezes, on more Israeli settlers and organizations under its sanctions regime is aimed at deterring actions responsible for human rights violations. This escalation in EU sanctions against the Settlers is a direct response to their involvement in grave violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including the blocking of aid deliveries.
