Czechia will block EU sanctions against Israel's national security minister

The Czech authorities will block the possible introduction of European Union sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in order not to turn him into a hero for Israelis.

This was stated by Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka.

The head of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Bloomberg news agency reports, called on EU partners to "not even try to impose" sanctions against Ben-Gvir. "Otherwise we will block [them]," Macinka said. He explained that the initiative to impose sanctions against Israel should not be considered in the community until the next elections to the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) at the end of October.

Restrictive measures in the EU against Ben-Gvir, according to the Czech foreign minister, will increase his popularity among voters in Israel. Sanctions against this far-right Israeli politician, as well as against Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, will turn them into heroes for their compatriots and "victims of some kind of anti-Zionist conspiracy of the West," Macinka explained. "Paradoxically, we would actually help them by doing this," the minister said. In addition, according to him, possible EU sanctions may be perceived as interference in the elections in Israel.

Head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas said earlier in an interview with the Irish television channel RTE that the EU is not tightening sanctions against Israel due to a lack of unity on this issue. According to her, the European Commission will soon propose new measures against Israel, but in her opinion, "they are unlikely to pass."

In early June, the Euractiv portal, citing a draft document of the EU summit on June 18-19, reported that the European Council plans to initiate work on sanctions against members of the ruling coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who may be involved in violating the rights of participants in the international humanitarian flotilla Sumud. In particular, the discussion concerned Ben-Gvir, who had previously published on the social network X a video recording of the detention of Sumud flotilla activists, who were subjected to humiliating treatment by Israeli law enforcement officers.

Source: TASS