After months of delay, the European Union agreed in May to sanction three Israeli settlers and four settler organizations under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. It was the third time Brussels sanctioned Israeli settlers, following two sanctions packages targeting a total of nine individuals and five organizations in 2024.
Much like the latest package of EU sanctions on Russian entities, restrictions on Israeli settlers and settler organizations had been blocked for months by Hungary’s veto. However, Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s electoral victory in April paved the way for EU agreement.
Unsurprisingly, the Brussels’ decision did not go down well in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the EU “morally bankrupt,” while the country’s minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, accused the bloc of antisemitism. These responses were par for the course, as Israel often attempts to disqualify legitimate international criticism of its violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.