EU Mulling Bans on Israel If Annexation Plan Proceeds: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell is seeking to impose sanctions on Israel if it implements its controversial annexation plan in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, a report said.
The report carried by Middle East Monitor on Monday added that the sanctions by the EU’s Foreign Affairs Commission could have a significant impact on Israel’s economy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set July 1 for the start of cabinet discussions on extending Israeli appropriation to settlements in the West Bank and annexing the Jordan Valley.
Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem (al-Quds) during the Six-Day War in 1967. It later annexed East Jerusalem (al-Quds) in a move not recognized by the international community.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
But Israel's aggressive settlement expansion and annexation plans have dealt a serious blow to any prospects of peace.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel’s continued settlement expansion on Palestinian territories.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem (al-Quds).