Umstrittene Äußerungen: EU will Sanktionen gegen israelische Minister verhängen – Berlin gerät unter Druck
Nach den jüngsten Äußerungen der rechtsextremen israelischen Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir und Bezalel Smotrich ist die Empörung groß. Die Entscheidung hängt auch an der Bundesregierung.
The EU faces mounting pressure to impose sanctions on Israeli government members following controversial remarks made by right-wing Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the issue during an informal meeting on September 1-2. Germany's stance could be pivotal, as it has been the only member state to block sanctions against the ministers so far.
Security Minister Ben-Gvir called for targeting "30 to 40" people nightly in Gaza, claiming they "deserve not to live" and are not even human. Finance Minister Smotrich recently stated that Israel must fully conquer the Gaza Strip, establish a military government there, build Jewish settlements, and encourage the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza.
German politicians in the European Parliament have spoken out in clear support of sanctions against Ben-Gvir, though the timing is deemed unfavorable due to Israel's upcoming election. The EU has so far only sanctioned Israeli settlers and organizations for human rights violations, without targeting individuals or the state itself.
Some EU countries, including Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, oppose sanctions against Israel. However, Germany's recent shift in position could lead to other member states reconsidering their stance.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
