Power change in Hungary helped the EU to reach such a decision.
They also agreed new sanctions on leading Hamas figure.
Israel strongly rejected the EU decision to impose sanctions against Israeli citizens and organizations.
”The European Union has chosen, arbitrarily and politically, to impose sanctions against Israeli citizens and organizations due to their political positions and without any basis.,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in a statement.
The minister also slammed the EU for its ” outrageous intolerable” parallel drawn between Israeli citizens and Hamas terrorists. ”This is a completely morally distorted comparison,” the minister said.
“EU Foreign Ministers just gave the go-ahead to sanction Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians. They also agreed new sanctions on leading Hamas figures”, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X on Monday as EU Foreign Ministers discussed in Brussels the situation in the Middle East, including the situation in the West Bank.
‘’It was high time we move from deadlock to delivery.Extremism and violence carry consequences,’’ she added.
Israel strongly rejected the EU decision to impose sanctions against Israeli citizens and organizations.
According to a diplomatic source, the change of government in Hungary with the arrival of pro-EU Peter Magyar helped the Foreign Affairs Council to adopt the sanctions which needed unanimity among the 27 EU member states.
Hungary, under outgoing Viktor Orban, until now blocked any proposal to sanction Israel.
EU Foreign Ministers also discusssed a call to suspend some trade preferences Israel enjoys in the framework of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and a proposal by France and Sweden to curb trade with settlements. But such a proposals either unanimity or a qualified majority.
‘’We tested this on Friday with the Ambassadors, it seems that we do not have the necessary majority to pass these measures. So, we will also discuss the French Swedish proposal regarding the trade with settlements, but that also requires a Commission proposal that is currently not there,’’ Kaja Kallas told reporters on Monday.
In a reaction to the EU decision to impose sanctions on the Israeli settlers, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that ”Israel strongly rejects the decision to impose sanctions against Israeli citizens and organizations.”
”The European Union has chosen, arbitrarily and politically, to impose sanctions against Israeli citizens and organizations due to their political positions and without any basis.,” he said.
Sa’ar also slammed the EU for its ” outrageous intolerable” parallel drawn between Israeli citizens and Hamas terrorists. ”This is a completely morally distorted comparison,” the minister said.
”Israel has stood, stands, and will stand for the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland. No people in the world has such a long-standing and documented right to its land as the people of Israel have to the Land of Israel. This is a moral and historical right that has also been recognized in international law, and no one can take it away from the Jewish people,” he said.
”The attempt to dictate political views through sanctions is unacceptable and will not succeed,” Sa’ar’s statement concluded.