The European Union has reached a political agreement to introduce new sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The agreement was discussed during the Foreign Affairs Council on May 11 and was made possible by the political shift in Hungary under the government led by Peter Magyar, which is considered closer to pro-European positions compared to the previous executive.
The approved measures include the freezing of assets held within EU member states and a travel ban to European territory for individuals and organizations involved in activities related to Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. The restrictions encompass the blocking of bank accounts, investments, and other financial activities in Europe, as well as a ban on accessing European funding.
The compromise that allowed the agreement to be reached was reportedly linked also to the imposition of sanctions against Hamas.
The official names of the sanctioned entities will be publicly disclosed in the Official Journal of the EU. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has anticipated some of the groups and figures that might be included in the list, such as Amana (a company that builds Israeli settlements in the West Bank), Nachala (an Israeli far-right settler movement), and Hashomer Yosh (an organization dedicated to protecting these settlements).
The Israeli response was swift. In a message published on X, Gideon Sa’ar declared that Israel has supported, supports, and will continue to support the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland. No other people in the world has such a documented and long-standing right to their land as the Jewish people have toward the Land of Israel. It is a moral and historical right that has also been recognized by international law, and no actor can take it away from the Jewish people. The attempt to impose political views through sanctions is unacceptable and will not succeed.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also condemned the sanctions, calling them "shameful," while the Samaria Regional Council accused the EU of indirectly encouraging terrorism.
Although the European initiative is considered by some to be a significant political signal, many critics argue that the measures are still limited and insufficient compared to the severity of the situation in the occupied territories.
The EU failed to find an agreement on potential economic measures against settlement products. France and Sweden have long been pushing to introduce stricter trade restrictions, such as a ban on imports from the settlements and the introduction of specific tariffs on colony goods. The High Representative for European Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, explained that there is currently no sufficient majority to adopt these measures due to a blocking minority composed of Italy, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Sweden has proposed extending the sanctions to certain far-right members of the Netanyahu government accused of supporting settlement expansion.
Other member states, such as Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, have imposed national restrictions against products coming from Israeli settlements.
Italy and Germany, on the other hand, continue to maintain a more cautious stance toward Israel.
The issue, however, does not only concern individual episodes of violence committed by settlers, but the entire settlement system. The colonies are viewed as part of a political structure directly supported by the Israeli government, precisely because convictions and sanctions against settler violence remain very rare. Targeting only specific individuals is not enough. Europe likely intervened due to growing pressure from international public opinion, choosing a symbolic response without compromising diplomatic and economic relations with Israel.
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