Germany Ready to Support Sanctions Against Israeli Settlers in West Bank - Government

BERLIN, (Sputnik) - Berlin is considering imposing EU-level sanctions against Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and is ready to support this initiative if it is compatible with the EU legislation, German FM spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer and government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Monday.

"I can tell you that, similar to the measures introduced by our close partners, such as the United States, we within the EU are also considering imposing restrictions against some radically-minded settlers who have committed violence in the West Bank," Deschauer said at a cabinet briefing.

At the same time, she also said she had no information about whether any of those Israeli settlers had assets in Germany. The spokeswoman explained the delay in considering the introduction of sanctions by the fact that a large number of countries participated in the discussions.

Meanwhile, Hebestreit dismissed the reports about Germany being involved in blocking this initiative at the EU level. Berlin is ready to support the sanctions if they are compatible with the EU legislation, the spokesman said.

On February 1, US President Joe Biden issued an executive order to implement new measures on actors behind violence in the West Bank, including the use of sanctions. After that, Washington sanctioned four Israeli citizens that had "directly perpetrated violence, and those who have engaged in repeated acts of intimidation, property destruction, leading to the forced displacement of Palestinian communities," the White House press office said.

The EU is currently working on agreeing on similar sanctions, the lead EU spokesperson for external affairs, Peter Stano, said last week.

❗️Biden has signed an executive order imposing sanctions against Jewish settlers in the West Bank, the White House said. pic.twitter.com/e3YgKiIRHj

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 1, 2024