German Media: EU Sanctions Both Israel and Hamas, Provoking Outrage from Both Sides

The European Union has decided to impose sanctions on multiple Israeli Jewish settlement organizations and several high-ranking Hamas officials. Israel argues that the EU equates Israeli citizens who are "doing dirty work for civilized society" with Islamic extremist fanatics, reflecting a moral decline.

EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, revealed that EU foreign ministers reached consensus on 11 May regarding sanctions targeting Israeli Jewish settlers and senior Hamas figures. Kallas did not disclose specific individuals or entities but broadly stated that the measures targeted three Jewish settlers and four Jewish settlement organizations in the West Bank. Previously, this sanction proposal had been blocked for months by Hungary’s former government, which lost the April election; former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is widely regarded as a key ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kallas posted on social media: "We should have broken this deadlock and reached an agreement long ago... Extremism and acts of violence must be held accountable." For months, governments across Europe have expressed concern over violent actions by Israeli Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Both Israel and Hamas Express Discontent

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the EU's decision in a social media post: "The EU has imposed arbitrary and politically motivated sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities solely based on their political views—without justification. Equally disturbing is the EU’s choice to equate Israeli citizens with Hamas terrorists. This is utterly unacceptable. It represents a complete moral equivalence."

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office also posted on the social platform X: "Israel and the United States are doing dirty work for Europe—fighting extremists like those from Iran and defending civilization—while the EU wrongly equates Israeli citizens with Hamas terrorists, exposing its moral decay."

Hamas, also subject to EU sanctions, voiced dissatisfaction, accusing the EU of "political hypocrisy and racism." Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters: "This is equivalent to equating a fascist butcher who has committed genocide and ethnic cleansing with pride, a rogue state violating all international law, with a victim fighting back in accordance with all laws and regulations."

Sharp Increase in Jewish Settler Violence

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, violent incidents involving Israeli military forces and Jewish settlers have occurred almost daily on Palestinian territories in the West Bank. Palestinian officials and the United Nations report that since the latest round of Iran-related conflict began on 28 February this year, deadly attacks by Jewish settlers in the West Bank have significantly increased.

Although the EU is advancing sanctions against Jewish settlers, member states have not yet reached consensus on further measures—for example, restricting trade ties with Israel. At a foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, countries only discussed calls to ban the sale of goods produced in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

In the West Bank region, approximately 3 million Palestinians live alongside more than 500,000 Israelis residing in illegal Jewish settlements. According to a UN report, in 2025, the expansion of Jewish settlements reached its highest level since the UN began tracking such data in 2017.

Source: DW

Original Article: toutiao.com/article/1864992654560330/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.