Crucial meeting next week: EU freezes plans to strengthen sanctions on Israel

Plans by the European Union to curb trade ties with Israel and to impose sanctions on ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich — over issues including the Gaza war and their remarks about settlements in the West Bank — have been postponed, according to a report published in Politico.

The shift in direction came after a group of leading EU countries concluded that such sanctions were unnecessary in light of a US-mediated deal that led to a temporary halt to the Gaza war.

According to four European diplomats who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, the original move is unlikely to win enough support at meetings of EU foreign ministers and leaders.

Imposing the sanctions requires the approval of all 27 member states, and despite growing pressure on the EU to act, the deal announced by US President Donald Trump has divided EU countries over how to proceed.

Separate measures to restrict trade could be presented with the backing of a smaller group of countries, but even that now appears unlikely, the diplomats said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her State of the Union speech in September to say she would work to blacklist the far-right ministers, impose restrictions on violent West Bank settlers, and suspend commercial payments with Israel.

These proposals are due to be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday and at the leaders’ summit in Brussels on Wednesday. Draft documents, however, show no agreement has been reached so far.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxim Bravo, whose country has pushed for a tougher stance on Israel, said it was “regrettable” that the European Union had taken more than two years to act against Israel.

Bravo added: “The credibility of the EU’s foreign policy has been heavily damaged. Many citizens still find it hard to understand why the EU has been unable to take decisive decisions.”