Beyond Gaza: EU Links Sanctions to West Bank Settlement Activity

The European Union’s comprehensive proposal against Israel is not solely about the war in Gaza; it is explicitly linked to the escalating settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. By sanctioning settlers and the ministers who champion them, the EU is signaling that its concerns are broader and more systemic.
An EU official speaking on background confirmed that the “increasingly violent settlement activity in the West Bank spearheaded by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich had given ‘new momentum’ to the sanctions.” This demonstrates that the EU views the situations in Gaza and the West Bank as interconnected parts of a single, worsening crisis.
For years, the EU has condemned settlement expansion as illegal under international law and an obstacle to a two-state solution. The new proposal moves beyond condemnation to action, imposing personal consequences on those seen as driving this policy. It is the most concrete step the EU has ever taken to counter the settlement enterprise.
This dual focus complicates Israel’s response. It cannot address the EU’s concerns simply by altering its tactics in Gaza. The proposal demands a broader policy shift that would involve confronting powerful political forces within the Israeli government who are deeply committed to expanding settlements.
By linking the two issues, the EU is raising the stakes and making its demands more profound. It is communicating that a return to a positive relationship requires not just an end to the current war, but also a fundamental change in Israel’s long-term policy in the West Bank.