EU Foreign Minister Borell to ask for sanctions against Ben-Gvir, Smotrich

Josep Borrell, EU High Representative High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. July 2024

Amir Tibon reports in Haaretz on 27 August 2024:

European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borell will ask member states to take a joint resolution to impose sanctions on Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Borell’s request requires approval of all 27 EU members, and the chances that they will unanimously agree are very low. Nonetheless, the fact that the subject is under discussion places a new threshold for the international sanctions against right-wing figures in Israel.

There is also a chance that if the request is not approved by all EU members, some states may opt to move forward on such sanctions independently.

Borrell’s request is an official expression of the public call he published two weeks ago, following Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s remarks about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Ben-Gvir called to stop fuel and aid deliveries to the Strip, and Smotrich spoke about starving all Gazans.

Borell wrote in response to their remarks, “Sanctions must be on our European Union agenda.” Over the past year, Borrell has urged expanding the EU sanctions against extremist right-wing figures in Israel, and not to simply focus on those directly involved in acts of violence against Palestinians.

Some in the American administration also believe that the U.S. should impose direct sanctions on the two ministers, but, to date, President Joe Biden has not approved such a move.

However, National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby, considered to be a prominent pro-Israeli official in the ranks of the administration, slammed Smotrich two weeks ago, accusing him of jeopardizing the lives of American citizens, after he objected to the deal to free the hostages held by Hamas.  Kirby said that Smotrich did not speak the truth about the deal and that he “should be ashamed” for his remarks against President Biden, who has supported Israeli during the ten months of the war.

Imposing sanctions against senior Israeli ministers would be unprecedented, but it should be noted that in the current circumstances, the U.S. and all European countries do not have any official or working relations with Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. In contrast, their predecessors who held their portfolios had close continuous relations with their counterparts in the world.

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