EU fails to accept sanctions on right-wing Israeli minister Ben-Gvir | Story

European Union member states have failed to agree to a proposal to ban Israeli Defense Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the bloc’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Kallas said that although “many” EU countries had planned economic restrictions, “there is no agreement on what has been achieved today”.

Ben-Gvir’s right minister was opposed by several EU countries for his support for the Global Sumud Flotilla activists who were arrested by the Israeli army while trying to reach Gaza last month.

However, efforts to stop Ben-Gvir at the EU level have been controversial. With the agreement needed, the order did not get full approval, Kallas said.

The EU ambassador did not say which countries would reject the proposal. However, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic are known to be among the opposition.

Mr Kallas added that “many” member states have also requested proposals from the EU Commission to prepare measures to reduce trade and illegal areas across the occupied West Bank.

“I will submit this request and ask the Commission to prepare, before the Foreign Affairs Council, a list of possible trade options, including measures to prevent the export of goods from illegal sources,” he said.

Last month, the EU moved for the first time to impose economic sanctions on those who live in brutality who violate human rights in the West Bank.

Following the Israeli military attack on the flotilla, a viral video showed Ben-Gvir taunting activists kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.

The international outcry saw several countries, including Israel’s former ally Italy, seek to ban the Israeli minister.

Italy has opened an investigation into the abduction and torture of Italian citizens who were among the activists. The French government initiated it search on charges of war crimes and torture.

The move comes as EU pressure on Israel has intensified in recent months. In April, Italy suspended the bilateral defense treatywhen last month the EU moved for the first time to impose economic sanctions on violent extremists accused of human rights violations in the occupied West Bank.

The EU is Israel’s largest trade partner, accounting last year for more than 30 percent of Israel’s total trade with the world.