Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has denounced the European Union as "antisemitic" after the bloc imposed sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians.
"To expect the antisemitic union to make a moral decision is like expecting the sun to rise in the west," Ben Gvir posted on X, adding that the EU was trying to "tie the hands of those who defend themselves."
European Union foreign ministers agreed on new sanctions on Monday, as a change of government in Hungary ended months of blockage.
Diplomatic backlash
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said: "It was high time we move from deadlock to delivery. Extremisms and violence carry consequences."
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the EU was "sanctioning the main Israeli organisations guilty of supporting the extremist and violent colonisation of the West Bank, as well as their leaders."
Seven illegal settlers or organisations have been blacklisted.
Israel condemned the new measures, asserting that Jews have the right to settle in the occupied West Bank.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X that the EU has chosen to impose sanctions in an "arbitrary and political manner."
Ben Gvir maintained that the "settlement enterprise will not be deterred," vowing to continue to “build and defend throughout the land of Israel.”
