EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that many member states have proposed to sanction Israel’s Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his treatment of anti-Israel activists arrested while trying to break the blockade of Gaza.
‘’But at the moment, my consultations with the member states is that we do not have the necessary unanimity that we need for this decision,’’ she said as she arrive in Luxembourg for a meeting of the 27 EU Foreign Ministers during which Middle East issues will be discussed, including the deal that has been announced between the U.S. and Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday distanced himself, saying Ben-Gvir’s conduct was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
Among others, the Czech Republic said it will block EU attempts to sanction Ben-Gvir.
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka reportedly told EU partners to “not even try or we will block” attempts to sanction Israel or Ben-Gvir. He added that such sanctions would bolster Ben-Gvir’s popularity in Israel during an election year, the report said. Other EU countries have shared the same view.
Macinka said the flotilla activists were “provocateurs” and “very radical.”
The Czech Republish has been one of Israel’s closest allies within the European Union.
Macinka announced, during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar in May, that Prague will block any proposed European Union trade restrictions targeting Israel.
He emphasized that the country is prepared to do so even if it requires utilizing a unilateral veto to halt the measures.
The minister said that Czechia will not permit the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.