EU foreign minister calls for united European front against Israeli settlements

European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calls for member states to treat Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria like Russian-occupied Crimea.

By World Israel News Staff

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called for the EU’s member states to apply the same trade principle to Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria that the EU uses toward Russian-occupied Crimea, drawing a sharp rebuke from Israel and adding momentum to a growing European push for restrictions on settlement-linked commerce.

Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, argued that the bloc should be consistent in its treatment of territories it considers occupied in violation of international law, and urged member states to support an EU-wide prohibition on imports originating in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

“We should have the same principled stance — you know this is illegal, everybody agrees — so we should stop trading with occupied territories,” Kallas told* The Irish Times*.

Kallas drew an explicit parallel with Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

The EU responded that year by banning imports originating in Crimea and Sevastopol unless they had been certified by Ukrainian authorities, later adding restrictions on investment, tourism and exports of certain goods and technologies.

Those restrictions were renewed in June through June 2027.

The EU foreign policy chief acknowledged that the volume of trade originating in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria is relatively small, but said a ban would carry symbolic weight and demonstrate that the bloc was prepared to act on its stated legal position.

She also warned that divisions among EU members were weakening Europe’s diplomatic influence.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar strongly rejected both Kallas’s proposal and the analogy with Crimea.

“The comparison drawn by Kaja Kallas has no factual or legal basis whatsoever and is completely unacceptable,” Sa’ar said.

Sa’ar argued that Judea and Samaria differ fundamentally from Crimea because the territory was never part of a sovereign Palestinian state comparable to internationally recognized Ukrainian sovereignty over Crimea.

He also cited the Jewish people’s historical connection to the area and noted that the status of the territory was designated for negotiation under agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians.

The dispute comes amid a broader European campaign to increase economic pressure on Israel over construction in Judea and Samaria and violence involving extremist settlers.

On September 8, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK issued a joint statement saying they intended either to introduce national restrictions on trade with settlements, support European restrictions or actively consider such measures.

The governments declared that “the two-state solution must be protected” and singled out Israel’s decision to issue tenders for the E1 construction project as a particular concern.

The UK, France and Canada went further, announcing plans for national bans on the importation of goods produced in Israeli communities beyond the pre-1967 lines and targeted measures against individuals or organizations involved in settlement activity.

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium had already taken measures of their own, according to the 12-country statement.

Israel responded particularly strongly to the British measures, announcing the closure of Britain’s consulate in eastern Jerusalem and removing the UK from participation in a US-led Gaza coordination mission.

Sa’ar accused London of interfering in Israel’s election campaign and described Britain’s actions as “morally distorted.”

The US has declined to join the trade restrictions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that such measures “could be destabilizing,” while Washington has continued to oppose unilateral steps that it believes could complicate negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

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