EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the European Commission, at the request of many member states, should draw up a list of options for possible trade measures. This concerns in particular preventing the import of goods from illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, several member states called for sanctions against Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, but no consensus was reached in Luxembourg. Kallas noted that the EU had already imposed further sanctions on violent Israeli settlers at the end of May.
The German government, represented by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), rejected calls for new sanctions, stating that such measures were “not necessary at this time.” In the West Bank, alongside about three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
