Recent provocations by hardline ministers of Netanyahu’s government have sparked international outrage.
The head of EU diplomacy, Joseph Borrellhas proposed sanction to some Israeli ministers by incite hatred already commit war crimesin another attempt to toughen the bloc’s response to the Israel war in Gaza.
“I started the procedure to ask the Member States if they want to (include) on our sanctions list some Israeli ministers (who) have been sending hate messages, unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians and proposing things that clearly go against international law and (are) a incitement to commit war crimes“Borrell told reporters this Thursday.
The EU high representative made these statements before a informal meeting of the 27 foreign ministers of the block in Brusselswhere a decision on sanctioning Israeli ministers cannot be formally made and it is unlikely to win unanimous support.
It is not the first expression of rejection
Although Borrell did not mention the ministers in question, recently expressed his indignation by the statements and actions of the Minister of National Security of Israel, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and of finance ministerBezalel Smotrich, who belong to the ultra-nationalist and ultra-right wing of the Government of coalition of Netanyahu.
Ben-Gvir caused the international condemnation with a recent visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, against the ‘status quo’ maintained by the Israeli authorities. He has also proposed building a synagogue at the holy site.
“The EU strongly condemns the provocations of the Israeli ministerBen-Gvirwho, during his visit to the Holy Places, advocated the violation of the ‘status quo,'” Borrell said in a declaration in X on August 13.
Smotrich has been repeatedly condemned for his plans to promote illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and for his statements in which he affirms that it could be “moral” starve two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“While the world advocates for a ceasefire in Gaza, Minister Ben Gvir calls for reducing fuel and aid to the civilian population. Like Smotrich’s sinister statements, this constitutes an incitement to commit war crimes,” said Borrell. in another statement in X. “Las sanctions must be on our EU agenda,” he added.
It is also understood that the sanctions proposed by Borrell are directed against the Israeli ministers who have promoted or allowed the Israeli settler violencecontra los Palestinians in West Bank.
The EU sanctioned to a handful of people and entities responsible for the attacks against Palestinian communities in April, but Violence in the West Bank has persisted.
In June, Smotrich dismissed international concern over continued settlement construction in the West Bank as “preaching,” and has continued to pay attention ever since. government support for settlement projects. It has also been withholding tax revenue intended for the Palestinian Authority, the government body that partially administers the occupied West Bank.
It is unlikely that Borrell will be able to gather the unanimous support necessary to sanction the ministers
In the past, EU Member States considered steadfast in their support for Israel (in particular Hungary) have limited the foreign policy chief’s ambitions to hold the Israeli government to account under international law. Ireland It is the only Member State that has so far openly supported the proposal.
“We will support the recommendation of Josep Borrell of sanctions with respect to organizations of colonists in the West Bank that are encouraging or facilitating (the) expansion of settlements, and also with respect to two Israeli ministers against which the high representative is also calling for sanctions,” Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin told reporters.
But he Italian foreign ministerAntonio Tajani, rejected the proposal calling it “unrealistic” and counterproductive. “It is not by theoretically recognizing Palestine or sanctioning Israeli ministers that we will solve the problem,” he said.
