The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions on seven Israeli settlers or settler organisations over violence in the West Bank, following months of delay. The move became possible after a change of government in Hungary ended a blockade by former prime minister Viktor Orban, who had opposed the measures. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was 'high time we move from deadlock to delivery' and that extremism and violence carry consequences.

France's foreign minister said the bloc was targeting the main Israeli organisations supporting what he described as extremist and violent colonisation of the West Bank. European Union officials also confirmed that additional representatives from Hamas would face sanctions.

Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, called the decision 'arbitrary and political' and said Israel would continue to defend the right of Jews to settle in what he described as their homeland. Settlement expansion has accelerated since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, leading a right-wing coalition, and following the Gaza war triggered by the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. Technical and legal steps remain before the sanctions are formally imposed.