“Some people tell us that history means we are eternally indebted to Israel, but that does not excuse this,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said.

By Yossi Lempkowicz

Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel has sharply criticized the European Union’s for being unable to apply pressure on the Israeli government, in a reference to Germany and other member states that have resisted proposals for EU sanctions over Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank.

‘’There is no measure that we are able to take, simply because there are always countries that are hesitant,’’ he said Tuesday after an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in  Wicklow, Ireland, the country which currently chairs the EU Council of Ministers.

“I get frustrated at every meeting because we’re like a dog that barks and barks but doesn’t know how to bite. That’s why yesterday, along with other European colleagues, I signed a statement expressing our desire to have qualified majorities so we can make decisions. But it’s not cause for celebration, because I want to tell you that we don’t even have a majority to ask the Commission to consider sanctions,” he said.

“Some people tell us that history means we are eternally indebted to Israel, but that does not excuse this,” Bettel said.

Several EU countries, including Luxcembourg, but also Ireland, Spain the  Netherlands and Belgium, have voiced support for EU-wide restrictions on importing goods from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) but other EU members, such as Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia,  are reluctant and no majority has so far be found.

There is a debate within the EU on whether the imposition of trade restrictions requires unanimity from the ministers, a position defended by the European Commission,  or qualified majority.

Ireland was the first EU country to ban imported products from Israeli settlement The country, which is the most hostile country towards Israel along with Spain,  recognised a Palestinian state in 2024.

Ireland has also pushed for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement ;

“We should be moving collectively, it is not credible for us to say we should uphold international law in one form and not do it in the other,” said Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee told journalists on Monday.  

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas did not address the prospect of trade sanctions during the press conference following the informal meeting.

Luxembourg, for its part said that it is examining the possibility of imposing sanctions against Israel at the national level.