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The European Union has been unable to reach unanimous agreement on imposing sanctions against Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the bloc’s top diplomat confirmed on Monday, even as a growing number of member states push for punitive measures against the far-right politician.
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Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, made the announcement following a gathering of the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
“Many member states have also proposed to sanction Minister Ben Gvir, but no consensus on that was reached today,” she said.
EU sanctions require the unanimous backing of all member states, and a core of staunch Israeli allies within the bloc effectively blocked the move from going forward.
Calls to place Ben Gvir on an EU blacklist intensified last month after he posted a video appearing to mock pro-Palestinian activists who had been detained by Israeli forces aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. France responded by banning Ben Gvir from French territory and urged EU partners to follow suit with bloc-wide measures.
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