EU Sanctions Israeli Settlers and Hamas Figures

The European Union reached agreement on a sanctions package that includes several Israeli settlers accused of committing acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank as well as leading Hamas figures, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said on May 11, 2026.

Kallas stated that foreign ministers are expected to formally approve the measures soon after resolving a months-long deadlock caused by a single country's veto, which has now been lifted. "It was high time we moved from deadlock to delivery," Kallas said according to the Jerusalem Post.

The package was announced days after the EU ambassador to Israel confirmed the bloc was moving toward action, citing recent political changes in Hungary that allowed plans stalled for some time to advance. The sanctions on settlers target individuals described in EU statements as having committed violence in the West Bank. The same package applies measures to Hamas figures.

Separately, the Palestinian Authority announced an EU-funded program to support victims of settler violence in the West Bank. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said the initiative would aid those affected by such attacks. A source in the office of the EU representative in the Palestinian territories told Agence France-Presse that the program would provide civil society organizations with protective equipment such as fences for communities facing attacks from settlers, along with a protective presence.

The EU plans to allocate €6 million for the effort.

The official Israeli reaction described the pairing of sanctions on settlers with those on Hamas figures as a distorted moral equivalence.