Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP 16:32 p.m., December 13, 2023

Denouncing violence that risks aggravating regional tensions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she was in favour of sanctions against "extremist" settlers in the West Bank. "This violence has nothing to do with the fight against Hamas and must stop," she said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she was in favour of sanctions against "extremist" settlers in the West Bank, denouncing violence that risks aggravating regional tensions. "The escalation of extremist settler violence is inflicting immense suffering on Palestinians. It jeopardizes the prospects for lasting peace and could further exacerbate regional instability. That's why I'm in favour of sanctioning those involved in the attacks in the West Bank," von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg. "This violence has nothing to do with the fight against Hamas and must stop," she said.

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Possible sanctions discussed

On Monday, after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said possible sanctions against Israeli extremists in the West Bank had been discussed. "There was no unanimity," he said, adding that he would nevertheless make a proposal to member states.

The Israeli army declared war on Hamas after an attack on Israel on October 7 by its commandos infiltrated from the neighboring Gaza Strip killed about 1,200 people, the majority of them civilians, according to the authorities. She vowed to destroy Hamas, which has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Its offensive in Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 18,400 people, the vast majority of them women and children under the age of 18, according to Hamas' health ministry.

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Ursula von der Leyen was speaking on Wednesday morning as part of a debate in the European Parliament on the Spanish presidency of the Council. "We have to say enough is enough, enough is enough, the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza. The bombing must stop immediately," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during the debate, calling for a "humanitarian ceasefire".