EU considers sanctions against Israeli ministers over ‘hate messages’
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attends a news conference after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Brussels, Belgium, February 28, 2022. (Reuters Photo)
The EU foreign policy chief announced on Thursday that he will urge the bloc’s foreign ministers to consider imposing sanctions against Israeli ministers for issuing “unacceptable hate messages against Palestinians.”
Before the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Josep Borrell told reporters that he has initiated procedures to ask member states whether they would consider adding Israeli ministers to the sanctions list who have been “proposing things that go clearly against international law” and are an invitation to “commit war crimes.”
The EU should not hesitate to use its tools “to ensure humanitarian law is respected,” Borrell emphasized.
EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels for an informal meeting to discuss global and regional issues, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
Israel’s brutal offense
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, despite a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The onslaught has resulted in more than 40,500 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,700 injuries, according to local health authorities.
An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.
Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.
