EU imposes fresh sanctions on ‘extremist’ Israeli settlers

Muhammad Salem from Bazariya village in the occupied West Bank inspects the damage at his construction material depot including a burnt bulldozer after a reported overnight attack by Israeli settlers from the Homesh settelment on July 12, 2024. (AFP)

• The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has seen a surge in violence in the past year

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Monday announced sanctions on five Israelis — including those termed “extremist settlers” — and three organizations for abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The asset freezes and visa bans are the second round of sanctions from the 27-nation bloc targeting violent Israeli settlers, taking the total number of listings to 14.
Prominent settlers blacklisted by the European Union included Moshe Sharvit, Zvi Bar Yosef, Baruch Marzel, and Isaschar Manne.
“The listed individuals and entities are responsible for serious and systematic human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank,” the EU said in a statement.
Israeli organization Tsav 9 was also sanctioned for “regularly blocking humanitarian aid trucks delivering food, water and fuel to Gaza” through violent protests.
The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has seen a surge in violence in the past year, particularly since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza.
According to Palestinian figures, at least 565 Palestinians have died in the West Bank in military raids and in violence with Israeli settlers since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.
The United States, Britain and Canada have also blacklisted Israeli settlers.
The latest EU moves against Israeli settlers follow measures targeting funders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The bloc — which has struggled to settle on a unified position on the war in Gaza — has agreed to sequence sanctions against Hamas with those targeting settlers.