EU condemns Israeli settler violence

By Merve Berker

The EU condemns settler attacks by Israel in Jit, northern West Bank, and urges Tel Aviv to halt these “unacceptable” actions, the EU foreign policy chief said on Friday.

“We condemn settlers attacks in Jit, aimed at terrorising Palestinian civilians,” Josep Borrell said on X.

“Day after day, in an almost total impunity, Israeli settlers fuel violence in the occupied West Bank, contributing to endanger any chance of peace,” the official noted.

He urged: “The Israeli government must stop these unacceptable actions immediately.”

“I confirm my intention to table a proposal for EU sanctions against violent settlers’ enablers, including some Israeli government’s members,” he added.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the occupied West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 633 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.