On Thursday, the Council of the European Union officially published the list of entities and persons on which it imposed sanctions for violating the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank. There are four legal entities and three individuals on the list. This was reported by the news portal The Times of Israel (TOI). The website i24news added that the sanctions include the freezing of assets in the European Union and a ban on entry into the EU, writes TASR.
In short:
- The Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on four organizations and three individuals
- Sanctions mean an asset freeze in the European Union and an entry ban
- Netanyahu described the European Union’s decision as moral bankruptcy and hypocrisy
This decision follows a political agreement reached by EU foreign ministers in May. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized their decision as a “moral bankruptcy” of the Union and accused Brussels of a “false parallel between Israeli citizens and terrorists” from the Palestinian radical movement Hamas.
Sanctions for organizations
The EU position specifies that the sanctions apply to the Israeli NGO Regavim and its director Meir Deutsch “for the demolition of Palestinian property in order to extend Israeli control over the entire West Bank.”
The non-governmental organization ha-Shomer Yosh (in translation Guardians of Judea and Samaria) and its former director Avichaj Suissa are also sanctioned. Sanctions were imposed on these entities for their activities “supporting at least 28 Jewish settlements and outposts,” through which unofficial Jewish communities in the West Bank are established without the approval of the Israeli government.
Condemned outpost settlements
While the Jewish settlements themselves are considered illegal under international law, the outposts are also illegal under Israeli law.
The EU Council further stated that the sanctions regime also applies to the radical Jewish settler movement Nachal and its leader Daniella Weiss, for activities leading to the forced displacement of Palestinians. Outposts linked to the Nachala movement are “a persistent source of settler violence,” according to an EU statement.
Long-term displacement
Also sanctioned is the Amana organization, which, according to the EU, was “significantly involved in initiating, financing and facilitating the creation of at least 30 settlements” that led to “large-scale displacement” and “removal of Palestinian property.”
In a separate statement, the EU Council said it was also expanding the scope of sanctions against the Palestinian radical movement Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to include members of the political leadership of Hamas who support, advocate or justify acts of violence.
