The European Union’s foreign policy chief has called on the bloc’s 27 member states to impose sanctions on certain Israeli ministers for their “hate messages” against Palestinians.
Josep Borrell, speaking ahead of the EU’s foreign and defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Thursday, criticized statements made by Israeli ministers that, according to him, “clearly violate international law and incite the commission of war crimes.”
While Borrell did not name specific ministers, he has previously condemned far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for making what he termed as “sinister” statements.
“I have initiated procedures to ask the member states if they consider it appropriate to include some Israeli ministers who have been issuing unacceptable hate messages against Palestinians on our sanctions list,” Borrell told reporters.
He emphasized that the European Union should not shy away from using its tools to ensure respect for humanitarian law.
International outrage has followed comments by Israeli ministers, including Smotrich’s suggestion to starve Gaza’s population to secure the release of Israeli captives held in the enclave. Ben-Gvir has also made inflammatory remarks about Palestinians, most recently stating that he would build a Jewish synagogue at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound—Islam’s third-holiest site and a key symbol of Palestinian identity in occupied East Jerusalem—if possible.
Diplomats believe that Borrell’s call for sanctions is unlikely to secure the unanimous agreement required from all 27 EU member states. However, it reflects the growing frustration among some European officials over the statements made by Israeli ministers.
The EU has been divided since the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7, which triggered Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, resulting in over 40,000 Palestinian deaths.
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