Netanyahu Slams EU Over Sanctions on Israeli Settlers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering attack on the European Union on Monday, hours after the bloc approved sanctions targeting extremist Israeli settlers and leaders of the Hamas movement. The sanctions, agreed upon by EU foreign ministers, are linked to violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu’s office posted on X that the EU had revealed its “moral bankruptcy” by drawing a “false equivalence between Israeli citizens and Hamas.” The statement accused the bloc of freeloading, saying Israel and the United States are “doing the dirty work on behalf of Europe” by fighting extremists in Iran and elsewhere.

Sanctions Package and Delays

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the agreement on Monday, saying the move targets three unnamed settlers and four settlement organizations, along with Hamas figures. The package had been stalled for months due to opposition from Hungary’s previous government, which lost elections last month.

European governments have voiced growing concern over rising reports of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Kallas wrote on X that “it was time to move from deadlock to delivery,” adding that “extremism and violence have severe consequences.”

Israeli and Hamas Reactions

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also criticized the decision on X, calling it “arbitrary and political.” He claimed the EU was sanctioning Israeli citizens and entities “because of their political views and without any basis.”

Hamas official Bassem Naim condemned the EU’s action against his movement, accusing the bloc of “political hypocrisy and racism.” In a statement, he said the EU was equating “a fascist executioner who boasts of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, a rogue state that violates all international laws, with the victim who defends itself according to all laws and norms.”