Denouncing violence which risks aggravating regional tensions, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that she was in favor of sanctions against “extremist” settlers in the West Bank. “This violence has nothing to do with the fight against Hamas and must stop,” she insisted.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she was in favor of sanctions against “extremist” settlers in the West Bank, denouncing violence which risks aggravating regional tensions. “The rise in violence by extremist settlers is inflicting immense suffering on Palestinians. It undermines prospects for lasting peace and could further aggravate regional instability. That is why I support sanctioning those involved in attacks in the West Bank,” Ursula von der Leyen declared before the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “This violence has nothing to do with the fight against Hamas and must stop,” she insisted.
Possible sanctions discussed
On Monday, after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell indicated that possible sanctions against Israeli extremists in the West Bank had been discussed. . “There was no unanimity,” he said, adding that he would nevertheless make a proposal to the member states.
The Israeli army declared war on Hamas after an attack of unprecedented violence and scale carried out on October 7 against Israel by its commandos infiltrated from the neighboring Gaza Strip, which left around 1,200 dead, the majority civilians, according to authorities. She promised to destroy Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Its offensive in Gaza has cost the lives of more than 18,400 people, the vast majority of them women and those under 18, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
Ursula von der Leyen spoke on Wednesday morning as part of a debate in the European Parliament on the Spanish presidency of the Council. “We must say that enough is enough, enough is enough of the deaths of innocent civilians in Gaza. The bombings must stop immediately,” declared during this debate the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who pleaded for a “humanitarian ceasefire “.