EU's Borrell urges sanctions on Israeli ministers over provocative statements

Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is expected to propose sanctions against two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Ben-Gvir currently serves as Israel's Minister of National Security, while Smotrich is the country's Minister of Finance, Caliber.Az reports, citing Western media.

According to sources in Brussels, Borrell is pushing for sanctions in response to what he perceives as recent provocative statements made by the two Israeli politicians.

Borrell plans to present his proposal during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers scheduled for August 29. The request, however, will not be put forward as a formal proposal, sources told the newspaper. They also noted that the initiative is likely to be blocked by member states such as the Czech Republic and Hungary.

"The aim is to highlight the behaviour of these ministers and to demonstrate that the EU is committed to maintaining its credibility and avoiding double standards," a source explained to The Guardian.