This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the European Union could move within days to adopt sanctions against Israelis accused of violence against Palestinians, adding that a longstanding Hungarian veto may soon be lifted since its change in leadership.
Speaking to France Info yesterday, Barrot said he had been pushing “for a year” for measures targeting individuals and entities linked to violence in the West Bank. “I think we will manage to adopt these sanctions in the coming days,” he said.
The initiative has until now been blocked by Viktor Orbán’s government, but Barrot suggested that “this blockage could be lifted” following the new government in Budapest, potentially clearing the way for EU consensus.
Incoming PM Péter Magyar caused controversy earlier this month when he suggested that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested if travelling to Hungary.
“If a country is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted by the ICC enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody,” he said when asked about the issue, despite his otherwise positive messages of friendship with Israel after winning the elections.
Barrot, in yesterday’s interview, also signalled growing impatience in Europe over other Israeli policies, warning that “we will not be able to act as if nothing has happened” if the situation does not change, referring to the humanitarian and military situations in Gaza and Lebanon in addition to the West Bank.
This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.
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