EU’s Borrell under Israeli fire over call for sanctions on government ministers

JERUSALEM

Two Israeli ministers attacked EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Thursday over his calls for imposing sanctions against Israeli ministers.

Borrell said early Thursday that he will ask the bloc’s foreign ministers to consider sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have been launching “unacceptable hate messages against Palestinians.”

Before attending an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Borrell told reporters that he initiated the procedures to ask the member states whether they would consider “including in our list of sanctions some Israeli ministers” who have been “proposing things that go clearly against international law” and are an invitation to “commit war crimes.”

"Joseph Borrell, who transfers money to the Palestinian Authority - an organization that pays murderers of Jews and encourages terrorism – wants to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers who are working to fight terrorism. Hypocrisy!," Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on X.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz also opened fire on the top European diplomat.

“Outgoing EU foreign minister Josep Borrell claims that the Israeli Foreign Minister is calling for the displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank. This is a blatant lie, just like his previous falsehood regarding my statements about Gaza, from which he was forced to retract,” Katz said on X.

“I oppose the displacement of any population from their homes,” Katz claimed.

On Wednesday, Katz called for applying Gaza-style measures in the northern West Bank, including temporary evacuations of Palestinians, amid a major military operation in the area, the largest in two decades.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in more than 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala