The European Union is considering additional sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers as violence, land seizures and settlement expansion continue to intensify across the occupied West Bank.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said discussions are ongoing within the EU Council over a possible new package of sanctions targeting Israeli settlers involved in violence and other abuses against Palestinians.

Speaking during a European Parliament debate on the Middle East in Strasbourg, Kallas said settler violence in the occupied West Bank had reached record levels, while acts involving the seizure of Palestinian land and property continued to escalate.

The EU has already imposed three packages of sanctions targeting extremist settlers. Kallas said further measures could be adopted, stressing that accountability is essential to curbing settler violence. The EU has previously imposed restrictive measures on individuals and entities linked to violent settler activity in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Kallas also condemned Israel's settlement plans in the E1 area of occupied East Jerusalem, warning that the project poses a serious threat to the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state and the viability of a two-state solution.

The EU has said Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the E1 area, are illegal under international law. In August, Kallas called on the Israeli government to withdraw a tender for more than 1,200 housing units in the E1 area and halt further settlement expansion.

Turning to Gaza, Kallas warned that the humanitarian crisis could deteriorate further as winter approaches, particularly in densely populated displacement areas vulnerable to flooding and the spread of disease.

“The ceasefire exists only on paper; people are still being killed and injured,” she said.

Her remarks came amid continued international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where millions remain dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Irish Member of the European Parliament Barry Andrews also addressed the worsening conditions facing Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Andrews accused Israel of making life increasingly difficult for Palestinians by restricting access to water, demolishing Palestinian communities and pursuing what he described as ethnic cleansing.

He argued that the European Union should take stronger economic measures against Israeli settlements, saying that banning trade with illegal settlements should be “the least we can do.”

The debate reflects growing pressure within European institutions over Israel's settlement policies and the deteriorating humanitarian situation facing Palestinians. The European Parliament has previously backed measures targeting violent settlers and called for stronger action against settlement expansion. (ILKHA)