EU should consider sanctions on Hamas, Israeli settler violence: Document

BRUSSELS - The European Union should consider toughening sanctions on Hamas and its finances, and imposing sanctions on Israeli settlers responsible for violence in the West Bank, the bloc’s diplomatic service said in a paper prepared for EU foreign ministers.

The “orientation note”, seen by Reuters on Dec 6, sets out options for ministers to consider at a meeting in Brussels on Dec 11 as they contemplate further responses to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and preparations for the time after the war.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that killed some 1,200 people in a cross-border assault on Israel from Gaza on Oct 7, is already listed by the EU as a terrorist organisation, meaning any funds or assets that it has in the EU should be frozen.

But the paper suggests the EU could “reinforce sanctions against Hamas and other terrorist groups” by further targeting finances and disinformation. It suggests the EU could set up a special sanctions programme dedicated to Hamas.

EU sanctions decisions generally need the approval of all 27 member countries, which have struggled to agree common positions on the current crisis as many have different and strongly held views on the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

France and several other EU countries have said they are already working together to advance proposals to impose sanctions – asset freezes and travel bans – on Hamas commanders.

Senior EU officials, including foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, have also expressed alarm over rising violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied territory of the West Bank.

The discussion paper, prepared by the European External Action Service and other EU officials, suggests an EU response could include bans on travel to the EU for those responsible and other sanctions for violation of human rights. REUTERS