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The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, announced that the European Council is continuing to discuss decisions that may include imposing new sanctions against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
This was stated during a session on the Middle East held by the European Parliament General Assembly in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
He explained that the activities of looting and robbery practiced by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are continuously escalating, noting that "settler violence" has reached its highest levels.
Borrell pointed out that discussions within the European Council are ongoing regarding a possible sanctions package, alongside the three previous packages directed against extremist settlers, affirming that "accountability is essential to curb violent settlers."
He added that the illegal settlement project named "E-1" in occupied East Jerusalem poses a serious threat to the two-state solution.
He stressed the need for the European Union and its international partners to continue demanding an end to land grab and seizure activities.
Regarding the situation in Gaza, Borrell warned of the exacerbation of the already tragic humanitarian situation as winter approaches, pointing out that densely populated displacement areas are at risk of flooding and disease.
He asserted that "ceasefire exists only on paper; people are still being killed and injured."
For his part, Irish MP Barry Andrews stated in his speech that Israel is trying to make the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank impossible by cutting off water to their facilities, ethnic cleansing, and demolishing villages with bulldozers.
Andrews emphasized that banning trade with illegal settlements is "the least we can do."
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