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The European Union unanimously agreed on Monday to impose new sanctions on the leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Israeli settler movement.
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The foreign ministers of the 27-nation bloc meeting in Brussels stopped short of endorsing stronger economic measures against the Israeli government.
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The European Union has to settle on which organizations and individuals will be hit with sanctions and a committee will finalize the draft list.
Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief
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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that ministers agreed extremism and violence should carry consequences.
Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief
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"It was high time we move from deadlock to delivery," said Kaja Kallas.
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The European Union has not released a draft list of those to be targeted with sanctions.
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Haaretz reported that the draft list includes settler organizations Amana, Nachala, Hashomer Yosh and Regavim and their leaders Daniella Weiss, Meir Deutsch and Avichai Suissa.
Daniella Weiss
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Daniella Weiss said she had received no formal notification of the sanctions and did not understand the justification for them.
Daniella Weiss
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Daniella Weiss described the sanctions as ridiculous and the situation as banal and said they would not stop the settler movement.
Regavim
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Regavim said it considers being sanctioned by the EU a badge of honor and will continue working to restore governance and sovereignty throughout its homeland.
Gideon Saar, Foreign Minister
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Gideon Saar said the sanctions were arbitrary and political and vowed that the government would continue to stand for the right of Jews to settle in the heart of their homeland.
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Key settlers in Israel's government include Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Cabinet Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
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Bezalel Smotrich formulates settlement policy.
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Itamar Ben-Gvir oversees the nation's police force.
Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the ministers decided to sanction Hamas leaders and both leaders and organizations in the Israeli settler movement in the occupied West Bank.
Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister
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"These most serious and intolerable acts must cease without delay," said Jean-Noël Barrot.
Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister
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"It is sanctioning the main leaders of Hamas, responsible for the worst antisemitic massacre in our history since the Shoah during which 51 French people lost their lives, a terrorist movement that must imperatively be disarmed and excluded from any participation in the future of Palestine," said Jean-Noël Barrot.
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At least 40 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the year, including 11 by settlers, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Helen McEntee, Irish Foreign Minister
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"The EU cannot be bystanders in the face of escalating violence and persistent breaches of international law," said Helen McEntee.
Peace Now, human rights group
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Peace Now said the decision was a call to the Israeli public to open its eyes and see the reality created through decades of control and settlement in the occupied territories.
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The unanimous EU vote followed the ouster of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power.
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Viktor Orbán had repeatedly vetoed earlier attempts to sanction Israeli settlers over their actions in the West Bank.
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Viktor Orbán lost the April election to Péter Magyar.
Martin Konečný, head of the European Middle East Project
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Martin Konečný said that Monday's move by EU's top diplomats validates the notion that Orbán was blocking them single-handedly.
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Criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's actions in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Iran had pushed many European governments, led by Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, to seek penalties.
Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg Foreign Minister
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"You can't just turn a blind eye," said Xavier Bettel.
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EU diplomats failed to agree on measures such as banning products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank or suspending a key trade agreement to pressure Israel.
Hugh Lovatt, fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations
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"The EU's narrowed the scope of action now to individuals and to a few entities, and in doing that it's ignoring the far more systemic issues at play," said Hugh Lovatt.
Hugh Lovatt, fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations
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"There's so much that you can and should be doing. Just adding a few more settlers to the sanctioned list is missing the big picture," said Hugh Lovatt.
Claudio Francavilla, associate EU director at Human Rights Watch
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Claudio Francavilla said the sanctions were a step in the right direction but more was needed for the EU to comply with international law.
Antonio Tajani, Italian Foreign Minister
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Antonio Tajani said his government needed more time to study a French-Swedish proposal to sever West Bank settlers from EU markets.
Tom Berendsen, Dutch Foreign Minister
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Tom Berendsen said individual nations could ban settlement goods on their own if the process stalls in Brussels.
José Manuel Albares Bueno, Spanish Foreign Minister
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"We have been talking about measures for too long. Let's move on to a vote and stop saying that there is no qualified majority for it. Let's see how many of us are in agreement and who is not," said José Manuel Albares Bueno.
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