EU warns Israel: West Bank annexation will bring sanctions

Shafaq News – Brussels

The European Commission may impose new measures on Israel if it responds to international recognition of Palestine by annexing the West Bank, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing a senior European official.

The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is partly overseen by the Palestinian Authority but remains under Israeli security control, with more than 140 settlements deemed illegal under international law.

Options under review include restrictions on settlement exports, the official told the outlet. “If Israel is harsh, we will be harsh; if it responds softly, so will we.”

The warning followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration on September 21 that “a Palestinian state will not be established,” as more countries prepare to extend recognition at a summit in New York hosted by France and Saudi Arabia alongside the UN General Assembly.

Inside Israel, far-right ministers urged Netanyahu to press ahead with annexation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called it “the only response to an anti-Israeli step,” demanding sovereignty be declared over the territory.