Netanyahu Rejects EU Sanctions Against Settlers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the decision by EU foreign ministers to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of seizing Palestinian land, a stance that reveals the depth of disagreement between Tel Aviv and Brussels over the settlement issue.

Netanyahu claimed that the occupied West Bank belongs to the Jewish people, in direct response to the European decision targeting what European officials described as violent settlers who encroach on Palestinian territory.

The European decision comes in the context of escalating international pressure on Israel over its settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, while Israeli officials repeatedly reject any international measures that Tel Aviv regards as interference in its internal affairs or a threat to what it describes as its historical rights in the region.