The sanctions target individuals linked to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, but several member countries are already pushing for tougher measures. France and Sweden are backing restrictions on trade with settlements, while broader proposals such as suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement remain deeply divisive inside the bloc.
“We had discussions on the trade issues, limiting trade with the illegal Israeli settlements,” Kallas told reporters after the meeting. “There was a call by many member states to take this forward, so we will continue to work with the Commission on presenting proposals.”
Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who was in Brussels to attend the Foreign Affairs Council, told POLITICO that Ottawa is also “considering additional actions that we may take” against settlers.
Israel swiftly pushed back against the EU sanctions.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar slammed the decision as “arbitrary and political,” accusing the EU of targeting Israeli citizens “because of their political views and without any basis.” “Israel has stood, stands, and will continue to stand for the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland,” Saar wrote on X.
EU diplomats had expected the sanctions to finally clear after Hungary’s change in government and incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar signaled he would not stand in the way of broadly supported sanction packages, unlike his predecessor, Viktor Orbán, who spent months blocking the package despite support from every other EU country.