Israel condemned the European Union's sanctions against Jewish settlers as arbitrary, saying they had the right to settle in the occupied West Bank.
Foreign Minister Sa'ar in a post on X emphasized that Israel "resolutely rejects" the EU decision, which is considered "arbitrary and political because of their political views and without any basis," he replied.
"Equally outrageous is the unacceptable comparison that the EU has chosen between Israeli citizens and Hamas terrorists," Sa'ar tweeted, quoted by The Times of Israel (12/5).
"This is a completely deviant moral commonality," he said.
As previously reported, the EU Foreign Ministers on Monday approved new sanctions against Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians, after the change of government in Hungary ended months of deadlock.
"It is time for us to move from deadlock to implementation," said the head of the European Union's foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, when announcing the approval, launching Al Arabiya from AFP.
"Extremism and violence have consequences," he said.
The occupied West Bank has been hit by violence almost daily since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, which involves Israeli forces and settlers.
Deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank have increased since the start of the Iran war on February 28, according to Palestinian officials and the United Nations (UN).
Although the European Union continues to pursue sanctions against Israeli settlers, there is still no consensus among the bloc's member states to take further steps against Israel such as limiting trade relations.
"Israel has, is, and will continue to defend the right of Jews to settle in the heart of our homeland," Sa'ar said.
"No other nation in the world has a documented and long-standing right to its land as the Jewish people have to the Land of Israel. This is a moral and historical right that has also been recognized by international law, and no actor can take it away from the Jews," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
