Josep Borrell urges 27 member states to back measures against those accused of fomenting ‘hatred’ towards Palestinians.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief has urged the bloc’s 27 member states to impose sanctions against some Israeli ministers for their “hate messages” against Palestinians.

Josep Borrell, speaking before the EU’s foreign and defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Thursday, said Israeli ministers had made statements that go “clearly against international law and is an incitation to commit war crimes”.

He did not name the ministers. However, in recent weeks Borrell has publicly criticised far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for statements he described as “sinister”.

“I initiated the procedures in order to ask the member states … if they consider appropriate, including in our list of sanctions some Israeli ministers [who have] been launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians,” Borrell told reporters.

• Read More