Politics EU chief diplomat presents proposal for Israel sanctions
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has presented the governments of the 27 EU member states with a proposal for sanctions against members of the Israeli government.
29.08.2024, 03:36
29.08.2024, 03:37
SDA
According to the proposal, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir are to be punished, as several EU officials confirmed to the German Press Agency shortly before a meeting of EU foreign ministers this Thursday. Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir recently caused outrage with statements against Palestinians and are far-right coalition partners of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both are also supporters of the settlement policy in the occupied territories, which the UN's highest court considers illegal.
Among other things, Ben-Gvir recently spoke out in favour of stopping aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip in order to persuade the ruling terrorist organization Hamas to give up. Finance Minister Smotrich expressed similar views. He described a possible blockade of aid supplies until the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas as moral and justified, even if this meant the starvation of two million people in the Gaza Strip.
According to an Israeli count, Hamas still holds 107 hostages. At least a third of them are presumed dead. In total, Palestinian terrorists abducted more than 250 people from Israel to the coastal region on October 7 last year. Around 1,200 people were killed in the unprecedented terrorist attack. Israel's army responded with devastating attacks in Gaza in which, according to Palestinian figures, more than 40,000 people have already been killed.
According to Borrell's proposal, sanctions could be imposed on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir for incitement to hatred and human rights violations. This would mean that their assets in the EU would have to be frozen and they would no longer be allowed to enter the EU.
