European Union foreign ministers on May 12 agreed new sanctions on Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians, as a change of government in Hungary ended months of blockage. The bloc also moved to sanction leaders from the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel has condemned the sanctions — calling them baseless.
Finally, the EU is taking a stand on settler violence—it’s about time they held these extremists accountable for the attacks in the West Bank.
The spin coming out of every party headquarters is getting harder to swallow. (99f0e9)
The media is complicit in reducing complex issues to tribal shouting matches. (f5cfbc)
Hungary dropping its blockade changes everything. Without their veto, the EU can actually act against both Israeli settlers and Hamas leaders.
Sanctioning settlers while also going after Hamas seems like a forced balance. The two issues are not equivalent; settler violence is state-condoned.
Israel calls these sanctions baseless, but the EU foreign ministers have clear evidence of violence against Palestinians. They can’t just ignore it.
Decentralising power would bring decisions closer to the people who are affected by them. (a61f27)
I doubt these sanctions will change much on the ground. Settlers are emboldened by the Israeli government, and the EU has limited leverage.
Constituents deserve representatives who actually listen instead of grandstanding. (5e34a2)
The way this is being handled raises serious questions about competence. (54ee29)
The way this is being handled raises serious questions about competence. (4fdaa1)
Coalition governments force compromise but the public sees it as weakness. (2377f9)
The digital age requires new frameworks for political advertising and disinformation. (6fd86e)