EU foreign policy chief pushes for member states to sanction Ben Gvir, Smotrich
Ireland accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians in Gaza and waging war on all Palestinians, calls on bloc to rethink agreements with Israel
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday he has started the process of asking member states if they want to impose sanctions on “some Israeli ministers,” while Ireland’s foreign minister said it was time for the bloc to reexamine its agreements with Israel.
Borrell did not name the ministers, but he was likely referring to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom he has suggested sanctioning in the past.
“I initiated the procedure to ask the member states if they consider [it] appropriate to include in our list of sanctions some Israeli ministers [who] have been launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians, and proposing things that clearly go against international law,” Borrell told reporters ahead of a meeting with EU foreign affairs ministers in Brussels.
In a post to X earlier this month, Borrell condemned comments by the two ministers and said, “Sanctions must be on the EU agenda.”
He referred to “sinister statements” by Smotrich, who had suggested it would be “moral” to intentionally starve 2 million Gazans until Hamas releases its hostages, and to Ben Gvir’s repeated calls to withhold fuel and other aid from the enclave.
Israel has been at war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza since October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
While the World pushes for a ceasefire in #Gaza, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel & aid to civilians.
Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes. Sanctions must be on our EU agenda.
I support UN @Volker_Turk in his strong condamnations. 1/2
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 11, 2024
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 40,000 people in the Strip have been killed, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 17,000 combatants in battle and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Nevertheless, many countries and organizations have accused Israel of violating international law, including the Genocide Convention, during its campaign — including by intentionally withholding food aid, a charge Israel strenuously denies, pointing to efforts to facilitate the delivery of aid to the enclave.
Critics often cite statements by Israeli officials — though not necessarily those setting war policy — as either evidence of genocidal intent or as violations in and of themselves, indicating a failure by Israel to prevent and punish incitement to genocide, as the convention requires.
Last month US officials told The Times of Israel that the Biden administration had considered including Ben Gvir and Smotrich in its own sanctions against extremist settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank. Two US officials said the idea was raised several times.
US President Joe Biden rejected the idea, arguing that the US should not be sanctioning elected officials. But the proposal resurfaced as Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians continued, and as Israeli authorities continued taking steps to expand their footprint in the West Bank, the officials said.
The EU, as well as the US, Canada, the UK, and France have all sanctioned violent settlers in recent months, in the wake of a surge of incidents in the West Bank since October 7, and a 15-year high in 2023.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock did not take a clear stand on Borell’s call either way, saying only that things should be examined carefully on a case-by-case basis to assess “what are the allegations? Are these allegations enough to list to sanction?”
She underlined that any decision to impose sanctions would require unanimous support.
Rethink ties
Meanwhile, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the bloc needed to rethink its ties with Israel, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting civilians in Gaza.
“This is a war against Palestinians not just against Hamas. The level of civilian casualties and dead is unconscionable,” Martin told reporters. “It’s a war on the population. No point in trying to fudge this.”
Martin said a legal opinion issued by the International Court of Justice that Israel’s “occupation” of Gaza and the West Bank is unlawful obliges the EU to take action. The Palestinians have hailed it as “a watershed moment for Palestine, for justice and for international law.”
“It cannot be business as usual,” Martin said. “It is very clear to us that international humanitarian law has been broken.”
Ties between the EU and Israel – which are major trading partners – are governed by a so-called Association Agreement. Ireland and Spain have been pressing their EU partners to examine whether Israel has broken the rules.
The EU is the world’s top provider of aid to the Palestinians but holds little leverage over Israel, notably because the 27 member countries are deeply divided in their approach.
Austria, Germany and Hungary are staunch backers of Israel, while Ireland and Spain are more vocal in their support for the Palestinians.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
