EU Imposes Sanctions on Israeli Settlers and Palestinian Groups

The European Union Council announced sanctions against four entities and three individuals for violations committed against Palestinians in the West Bank. The Council also approved an expansion of sanctions targeting the Palestinian movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

According to a statement by the Council, the sanctions focus on settlers and supporting organizations responsible for violations including assaults on the physical and psychological integrity of Palestinians, infringements on property rights, private and family life, as well as freedoms of religion and education.

This decision implements the political agreement reached by EU foreign ministers during their meeting on May 11, 2026.

The sanctions cover the settler group "Nahala" and its director Daniela Weiss. The EU accuses them of encouraging and facilitating forced displacement of Palestinians through the establishment of settler outposts that impede Palestinian access to their agricultural lands and grazing areas. These outposts are also linked to repeated violent acts against Palestinian residents.

The Council also expanded the restrictive sanctions framework against the Palestinian movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad to include members of Hamas’s political bureau who promote, defend, and justify violent acts.

The European Council stated that the political bureau members of Hamas play a central role in the movement’s decision-making process and exert direct influence over the military wing’s activities, including violent operations, holding them generally responsible for these acts.

Under the new decision, the EU added ten additional individuals from Hamas’s political bureau to the European sanctions list. These individuals are considered aware of the planning, preparation, and execution of violent acts, as well as publicly defending and justifying them, including issuing threats and warnings related to future attacks.