France’s foreign minister has said that the EU could soon move ahead with sanctions against Israel as the Hungarian government change could lift its long-standing veto.
Jean-Noel Barrot told France Info on Thursday that he had been advocating for sanctions “for a year” against individuals or entities responsible for violence against Palestinians, including those in the occupied West Bank.
“I think we will manage to adopt these sanctions in the coming days,” he said in an interview.
Barrot said the measures had so far been blocked by Hungary under outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, but suggested the veto "could be lifted" following the election of the new Hungarian prime minister.
He also warned that the EU could not ignore Israel’s actions if its policies remain unchanged.
Amid calls to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which is conditional on respect for human rights, the minister said that if the Israeli government does not change its policy, the bloc will not be able to act as if nothing has happened.
At the same time, Barrot stressed that France was not seeking "to suspend for the sake of suspending" and that any decision would need to be taken at the European level.
