Jonah Redfern Lawmakers spanning Germany's political spectrum — from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Left party — have called for EU sanctions on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his remarks on killing Gazans, Politico reports. The European Commission separately urged Israel to comply with international law following the comments, according to Anadolu Ajansı.
The political signal is unusual: cross-party consensus in the Bundestag on Israel policy is rare, and Germany has historically shielded Israel from EU censure under its post-war doctrine of Staatsräson.
How EU sanctions actually work
EU restrictive measures against individuals are adopted under Article 29 of the Treaty on European Union and, where they touch trade or financial flows, Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. Both routes run through the Council of the EU and require unanimity among all 27 member states — one government's veto is enough to stop a listing. The High Representative or a member state must first table a proposal before the Council debates designation criteria, evidence and scope.
- If Berlin formally proposes listing Ben-Gvir, a single holdout — historically often Hungary on Middle East files — can still block it.
- Short of an EU-wide measure, Germany could pursue national steps such as travel restrictions, though these would lack the bloc-wide legal effect of a CFSP listing.
- The EU has sanctioned individuals over other conflicts, including Russia, Belarus and Myanmar, but has never listed a serving Israeli minister.
No sanctions proposal has yet been tabled in the Council. What happens next depends on whether Germany's parliamentary consensus becomes a government position pushed at Council level, and whether other capitals — several of which have resisted Israel-related measures before — fall in line.
