Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday accused the European Union of antisemitism after the bloc imposed sanctions targeting Israeli settlers who committed violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
“To expect the antisemitic union to make a moral decision is like expecting the sun to rise in the west. While our enemies perpetrate attacks and murder Jews, the European Union is trying to tie the hands of those who defend themselves,” Ben Gvir posted on X.
“The settlement enterprise will not be deterred. We will continue to build, to plant, to defend, and to settle throughout the entire land of Israel.”
Estimates indicate that around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
All Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal under international law.
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after an incursion by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.
