Palestinian and Israeli journalists talk to a man in Khan al-Ahmar, the Palestinian Bedouin village which Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered to be evacuated, near Jericho, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 25, 2026. (Credit: Ali Sawafta/Reuters)
The EU formally sanctioned seven Israeli settlers and organizations on Thursday over violence against Palestinians and settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
On May 11, European Union foreign ministers agreed on the sanctions which had been stalled by Hungary's former prime minister Viktor Orban but his ouster paved the way for the veto to be lifted.
The sanctions consist of travel bans and asset freezes, and EU citizens and companies are also banned from making funds, financial assets, or other economic resources available to those listed.
The sanctioned individuals included Daniella Weiss, a leading figure in the settler movement.
The EU also sanctioned 10 representatives of the Palestinian group Hamas, according to the European Council, which represents the 27 member states.
Israeli soldiers and settlers — many of them armed — have been involved in heightened violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank ever since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
The EU has also come under pressure by Spain and Italy to sanction Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla forced to their knees with hands bound, taunted by Israeli authorities and some reportedly subjected to various forms of abuse, including sexual.
