EU Chief Proposes Sanctions on Israeli Ministers, Partial Suspension of Trade Deal

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

STRASBOURG (Worthy News) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Wednesday that the EU’s executive branch will push for sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers and “violent settlers,” alongside a partial suspension of the bloc’s trade partnership with Israel.

Speaking in her State of the European Union address to lawmakers in Strasbourg, von der Leyen unveiled a three-point package that also includes forming a new “Palestine donor group” in October to oversee Gaza reconstruction.

“What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world,” von der Leyen said, citing scenes of “mothers holding lifeless babies” and accusing Israel of presiding over a “man-made famine.”

Israel swiftly rejected the accusations, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar blasting her remarks as “tainted by echoing the false propaganda of Hamas.” He said Israel was “fighting a war of existence” after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people and kidnapping of 251 hostages, 48 of whom remain in Gaza.

Trade Sanctions Divide the Bloc

Von der Leyen proposed suspending parts of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, in force since 2000, which provides Israeli exports with preferential access to the EU. The bloc is Israel’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of its imports and exports in 2024.

But while trade measures require a qualified majority of EU states, sanctions fall under foreign policy and demand unanimous approval–an uphill battle given divisions among the 27 members.

• Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands favor suspending trade benefits.
• Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic oppose the move.

Von der Leyen admitted the proposal is “stuck without a majority.”

Targeting Far-Right Ministers

The Commission’s plan to sanction “extremist ministers” appears aimed at National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom already face bans from several Western countries.

Israel condemned the move, noting that Jerusalem had recently struck Hamas’s political leadership in Qatar and was preparing a new offensive in Gaza City. Sa’ar warned that “hurting Israel will not bring peace” but instead “entrenches Hamas and Israel’s enemies.”

Von der Leyen reaffirmed her support for Israel’s security and insisted that Hamas could have no role in Gaza’s future, while urging an immediate ceasefire, the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages. “There can never be any place for Hamas, neither now nor in future because they are terrorists who want to destroy Israel,” she told Parliament, adding that the proposals will now go before the Council of the European Union, where member states must decide collectively.

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