Travel bans on Israeli settlers to be imposed by individual EU countries

Ministers fail to agree to EU-wide sanctions

Tanaiste Micheal Martin: 'In respect of sanctions on West Bank settlers, yes, there is disagreement but I would say that 26 member states support the idea of an EU sanctions regime against violent West Bank settlements. One would be very much opposed.' Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Travel bans against Israeli settlers are set to be imposed by individual countries after ministers failed to agree to EU-wide sanctions.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he had "spoken passionately" about the plight of children in Gaza, 17,000 of whom have now been left without any family, and again called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire during a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.

European politicians discussed a plan to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers; however, Hungary continues to block this.

'Collective punishment'

Mr Martin warned EU colleagues that a threatened Israeli ground offensive on the southern city of Rafah would represent "collective punishment" of the people of Gaza and would violate international humanitarian law.

"We've got to really get rid of all the fudging, all bland language. There are 1.5m people now in a small corner of a very small area, who have been moved to the north of Gaza, to the centre of Gaza, to the south. It is not credible that there was an alternative plan in the event of a military operation into Rafah," he said.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Martin said: "In respect of sanctions on West Bank settlers, yes, there is disagreement but I would say that 26 member states support the idea of an EU sanctions regime against violent West Bank settlements. One would be very much opposed."

While European countries are permitted to restrict the movement of those involved in the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank, individual states cannot impose a freeze on assets on a unilateral basis.

Mr Martin said: "What may happen now, in the event of no conclusion being brought to this, in the next while, member states will take action in respect of travel bans, where their national legislative frameworks facilitate that. Not every member state may have that facility.

"However, if you don't get EU27 agreement, you cannot do asset freezes and that was made clear by the legal advice to us today that asset freezes require a Council regulation."

Ireland has been urging EU countries for some months now to take action against Israeli settlers who have violently displaced Palestinians and destroyed homes and buildings in the West Bank.

Mr Martin said a joint letter sent by Ireland and Spain to EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen calling for a review of the Israeli-EU trade agreement was also discussed at the meeting.

Navalny death

Ministers were also briefed on the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison.

His widow Yulia Navalnaya addressed EU foreign ministers and vowed to carry on her husband's fight against Vladimir Putin in what Mr Martin described as a "very passionate" statement.

"His wife reminded us that, in essence, that Putin has killed many opposition people within Russia, he's imprisoned them, he has endeavored to suppress freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, even on those who currently want to show their sympathies on the death of Alexei Navalny by arresting them and harassing them as they leave flowers in his honour. But she made the point that you cannot kill an idea and you cannot kill the idea of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly."

Mr Martin said the EU will continue to add to sanctions against Russia with a new package expected to be agreed shortly.