{"id":271456,"date":"2024-08-19T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T11:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=271456"},"modified":"2024-08-13T06:28:53","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T05:28:53","slug":"eu-foreign-policy-chief-calls-for-sanctions-against-israeli-ministers-for-incitement-to-war-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/08\/eu-foreign-policy-chief-calls-for-sanctions-against-israeli-ministers-for-incitement-to-war-crimes\/","title":{"rendered":"EU Foreign Policy Chief Calls for Sanctions against Israeli Ministers for &#8216;Incitement to War Crimes&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_271457\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/josep-Borrell-eu.webp\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-271457\" class=\"wp-image-271457\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/josep-Borrell-eu-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/josep-Borrell-eu-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/josep-Borrell-eu-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/josep-Borrell-eu-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/josep-Borrell-eu.webp 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-271457\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo Credit: Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><em>Josep Borrell called Smotrich&#8217;s comments on starving two million Gazans by withholding aid &#8220;sinister.&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>12 Aug 2024 <\/em>&#8211; EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said yesterday that the bloc must consider imposing sanctions against Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for \u201cincitement to war crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Borrell urged the Israeli government to clearly dissociate itself from individuals who incite war crimes and to work seriously towards a ceasefire deal.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">While the World pushes for a ceasefire in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Gaza?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#Gaza<\/a>, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel &amp; aid to civilians.<\/p>\n<p>Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes. Sanctions must be on our EU agenda.<\/p>\n<p>I support UN <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/volker_turk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@Volker_Turk<\/a> in his strong condamnations. 1\/2<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JosepBorrellF\/status\/1822734595873542321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The high-ranking EU official also denounced Ben Gvir for urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt all humanitarian aid and fuel to the Gaza Strip amidst the ongoing genocide.<\/p>\n<p>Finance Minister Smotrich\u2019s comments about starving two million Gazans by withholding aid in exchange for Israeli captives as \u201csinister,\u201d in stark contrast to the Israeli minister\u2019s assertion that the approach is \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thecradle.co\/articles-id\/26278\" >justified and moral<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>UN human rights chief Volker Turk also condemned statements made by the finance minister and should be investigated criminally.<\/p>\n<p>In response, during an interview with Israeli news outlet Kan, Smotrich suggested that his remarks were misunderstood, reaffirming that \u201cmorally, we must condition humanitarian aid and tell Hamas, the Gazans, and the world that we allow aid in under the condition that they return our hostages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On 5 August, Smotrich argued for the use of starvation over any prisoner exchange and ceasefire negotiations. He also restated his opposition to releasing Palestinians in Israeli prisons in exchange for the captives in Gaza and his support for Israel resettling the strip.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously stated that resettling Gaza is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.i24news.tv\/en\/news\/israel\/politics\/artc-netanyahu-shuts-down-re-establishing-gaza-settlements-as-not-realistic#:~:text=Regarding%20the%20re%2Destablishment%20of,not%20realistic%2C%22%20he%20said\" >unrealistic<\/a>, angering his far-right allies.<\/p>\n<p>Smotrich and Israeli Defense Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have been at the center of controversy since their rise to power after the November 2022 elections in Israel, when their Religious Zionist Party joined Netanyahu\u2019s ruling coalition.<\/p>\n<p>Smotrich has also previously called for the destruction, \u2018ethnic cleansing,\u2019 and annexation of Gaza.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thecradle.co\/articles\/borrell-calls-for-eu-sanctions-against-israeli-ministers-for-incitement-to-war-crimes\" >Go to Original &#8211; thecradle.co<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><i><b>Join the<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><i><b> <\/b><\/i><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><i><b>BDS-BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS <\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><i><b>campaign<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> to protest the Israeli barbaric siege of Gaza, illegal occupation of the Palestine nation\u2019s territory, the apartheid wall, its inhuman and degrading treatment of the Palestinian people, and the more than 7,000 Palestinian men, women, elderly and children arbitrarily locked up in Israeli prisons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>DON&#8217;T BUY<\/b><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>PRODUCTS WHOSE<\/b><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>BARCODE<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b> STARTS WITH<\/b><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>729<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">, which indicates that it is produced in Israel. <\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>DO YOUR PART! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>7 2 9: BOYCOTT FOR JUSTICE!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>12 Aug 2024 &#8211; Josep Borrell said yesterday that the bloc must impose sanctions against Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for \u201cincitement to war crimes.\u201d He called Smotrich&#8217;s comments on starving two million Gazans by withholding aid &#8220;sinister.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":271457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[928,1854,1268,87,865,88,427,923,965],"class_list":["post-271456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-bds-boycott-divestment-sanctions","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-european-union","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-israel","tag-palestine","tag-sanctions","tag-war-crimes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271456"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271463,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271456\/revisions\/271463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}