EU agrees to sanction Israeli settlers in West Bank
by Joe Fisher · UPIMay 11 (UPI) -- The European Union came to an agreement Monday to sanction Israeli settlers in the West Bank for acts of violence against Palestinians.
The European Union will freeze assets and ban travel for sanctioned individuals, which will also include members of Hamas. It is examining further actions, including tariffs and bans on products that originate from Israeli settlements.
"Today, we reached a political agreement to sanction Israeli extremists settlers and entities," Kaja Kallas, an EU diplomat, told reporters. "We move from political deadlock that was there for a long time. Violence and extremism must carry consequences."
The EU has placed sanctions on Israeli settlers over violence before. In 2024, it sanctioned five people and three entities for human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Hungary had stood opposed to any sanctions against settlers under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Orban has been succeeded by new Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who was sworn in on Saturday.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar responded to Monday's decision in a statement.
"Israel has stood, stands and will continue to stand for the right of Jews to live in the heart of our homeland," he wrote. "No other people in the world has a documented and long-standing right to their land in the way the Jewish people have to the Land of Israel."
IDF move tanks along border fence
Israeli tanks move out from a position along the border fence with the Gaza Strip on October 20, 2025. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI | License Photo