Settler Violence in the West Bank and the EU's Stalled Debate Over Sanctioning Israel
ARTE.tv Documentary
This edition of ARTE Europe Weekly asks whether the European Union should use its trade relationship to hold Israel accountable for escalating violence in the occupied West Bank. The program presents the EU as having the economic tools and the legal grounds to act, but as paralysed by divisions among member states. Some governments, the United Kingdom, and a large citizens' petition are moving ahead without it.
An Olive Harvest Marked by Violence, and an Attack on a European Delegation
The program opens with the annual olive harvest, when, it says, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers trying to harvest on their own land every year. It reports that this year the violence has been worse than usual in the run-up to a high-stakes Israeli election on 27 October. Citing the UN humanitarian agency, it says at least 23 Palestinians have been killed in such attacks so far this year.
One incident, the program argues, is one the EU "can't ignore." On 17 October, Israeli settlers assaulted a French mayor who was visiting the West Bank as part of a European diplomatic convoy. Parts of the attack were caught on camera. Even so, Benjamin Netanyahu's government questioned the incident, asked for more evidence, and referred to a smear campaign against Israel. The EU condemned the attack. According to the program, the episode leaves Brussels in an even more uncomfortable position.
Europe's Balancing Act Since 7 October 2023
The program describes the EU's dilemma since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. It has tried to balance support for Israel's right to defend itself against opposition to what the program calls Israel's continued violation of international law.
The program states that Israel has clearly breached international law in its military campaign in Gaza. It notes that human rights groups, genocide scholars and an independent UN inquiry widely regard that campaign as a genocide. That inquiry, it says, reached its finding in September 2025. The program adds that both the UN and the International Court of Justice consider Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem unlawful. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967, and for years increasingly radical Israelis have built and expanded settlements there and displaced Palestinians.
About a week before the UN inquiry's finding, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament she supported suspending free trade with Israel. She acknowledged the political difficulty at the time: "I am aware it will be difficult to find majorities and I know that any action will be too much for one and too little for others."
A Divided Union
The program says the EU has been at a stalemate since then. Spain has pushed hardest for stronger action. In April this year, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain asked for a debate on ending the EU–Israel Association Agreement at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium backed the request. For Italy and Germany, however, ending the agreement is out of the question.
The program argues that the EU's preference for diplomacy over sanctions carries risks. It quotes a representative of the European Middle East Project, a think tank and NGO, who said that unconditional support for Israel is "leading Israel into a permanent war, never-ending occupation of Palestine." The same speaker rejected the argument that Israel is part of, or an outpost of, Western civilisation. They said the Israeli government's conduct violates or disregards "basic values of civilization," so the argument "doesn't hold up."
The Association Agreement as Leverage
The program then explains why the trade relationship matters. Article 2 of the EU–Israel Association Agreement commits both parties to respect human rights and democracy. The narrator says neither is being respected, which in the program's view gives the EU grounds to terminate or at least suspend the agreement. That step, it says, "would hit Israel hard."
The agreement was signed in 1995, during the optimism that followed the Oslo Accords, "when everyone wanted to believe in lasting peace in the Middle East." It entered into force in June 2000 and set up a legal framework for bilateral trade. The free trade area covers manufactured goods, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. The agreement also opens access to public contracts, lets both sides pool funding for scientific research, and has since been extended to the Erasmus student exchange programme.
The program gives these trade figures:
- EU–Israel trade in goods exceeded €43 billion in 2025.
- The EU sells about €11 billion more to Israel than it buys from it.
- Germany is the largest EU exporter to Israel, followed by the Netherlands and Italy.
- Ireland imports the most from Israel.
- The EU is Israel's largest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of its trade in 2025.
The narrator says this dependence gives the EU political leverage. The European Middle East Project representative argued that Europe has the tools but lacks the political will to use them, because a group of countries has blocked every attempt. As a result, they said, Europe has been "relegated to making statements." For years it has expressed concern about matters such as settlement expansion, and in their account those statements have been ignored every time.
Member States Going It Alone on Settlement Goods
With no joint EU action, the program reports, some countries are acting individually. They cannot leave the Association Agreement on their own, but they can stop importing goods produced in West Bank settlements, typically food such as dates, oranges and olive oil. Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have already banned such imports. France, Poland and Sweden are drafting similar legislation. The program says these countries hope to push Brussels toward a tougher stance.
The EU has taken some measures against settlers. In 2024 it imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers involved in violence in the West Bank for the first time. Hungary then blocked further sanctions until May this year, when the EU announced a political agreement to sanction "Israeli extremist settlers and entities."
The E1 Project and the Future of a Palestinian State
The program reports that the violence is rising as settlers continue what it calls a land grab across the West Bank. The Israeli government is also advancing the controversial E1 settlement project on a strategic area east of Jerusalem. According to the program, E1 would sever the link between the northern and southern halves of the West Bank and cut Palestinian territory in two, making a viable Palestinian state "even more elusive." Several EU member states and other Western countries have strongly criticised the plans.
The UK Goes Further
The program presents the United Kingdom as an example of action the EU has not matched. In early September, British officials announced in Parliament an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories. They also announced measures against specific companies and individuals who provide construction, infrastructure, financing or real-estate services for settlement expansion. One official warned that those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements "will face the full force of UK sanctions." According to the program, Israel retaliated by closing the UK's consulate in Jerusalem.
Asked what these measures could achieve, the European Middle East Project representative said they may be the first step that has a real deterrent effect on companies and banks involved in settlement construction. They called it an interesting path that "the Europeans have not been able to emulate so far."
The program announces a report from a former ARTE colleague, now a Jerusalem correspondent for a Spanish TV channel, on how Israel has reacted to this "diplomatic game of chess." That segment does not appear in the transcript.
A Citizens' Initiative and a Broken Taboo
The final section covers public pressure. A European Citizens' Initiative calling for suspension of trade with Israel was officially launched in January this year. The program says it has gathered more than 1.3 million signatures, mostly from France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Poland. Because it has passed the one-million threshold, the signatures will be verified and the European Commission must respond.
The program says NGOs see the initiative as a turning point whatever the outcome. The European Middle East Project representative argued that "the taboo on discussing sanctions, on applying sanctions in relation to Israel has been broken." They said it would be very difficult to return to business as usual and restore that taboo, even though some European actors would like to. In their view, Europe has paid "a very large reputational price" for its apparent support for, and complicity in, the Israeli war in Gaza.
The program ends by naming topics it did not cover, such as German arms deliveries to Israel and Israel's supply of technology to Europe. It leaves the central question open: the EU has leverage over Israel, but it has not yet agreed on whether to use it.
Olive groves set alight and increasing attacks against Palestinians and the press, with European politicians caught in the crossfire. Escalating violence in the West Bank is forcing Europe to rethink its relationship with Israel. But the EU is divided on how and whether to hold Israel accountable.
Settler violence. Should the EU sanction Israel?
This debate is not new, and the violence isn't either. Every year, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers trying to carry out the olive harvest on their own land. This year, the violence has been even worse in the run-up to a high-stakes election in Israel on the 27th of October.
One incident in particular the EU can't ignore. On the 17th of October, Israeli settlers assaulted a French mayor visiting the West Bank. He was part of a European diplomatic convoy traveling to the occupied territory. Despite parts of the attack being caught on camera, Benjamin Netanyahu's government has questioned it, calling for more evidence and referencing a smear campaign on Israel. According to the United Nations humanitarian agency, at least 23 Palestinians have already been killed this year in similar attacks.
The European Union has condemned this attack, but it puts Brussels in an even more uncomfortable position. Since Hamas attacked Israel on the 7th of October, 2023, the EU has struggled to strike a balance between supporting Israel's right to defend itself and standing up against Israel's continued violation of international law. There are calls for the EU to use its economic clout to reprimand Israel.
In September 2025, a UN inquiry found that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Just a week before, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen went before the European Parliament to call for a suspension of free trade with Israel.
I am aware it will be difficult to find majorities, and I know that any action will be too much for one and too little for others.
The European Union has been at a stalemate since then, despite some countries urging stronger action, in particular Spain.
Ireland, Slovenia, and Spain called on the EU to debate ending the association agreement at a council of foreign ministers in April this year. Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium gave their backing. But it's out of the question for Italy and Germany.
The EU's recourse towards diplomacy rather than sanctions has its risks. According to the think tank and NGO European Middle East Project,
These policies of unconditional support of Israel are actually supporting or leading Israel into a permanent war, never-ending occupation of Palestine. Also, the discourse about Israel being part of or an outpost of Western civilization. Actually, we see that what the Israeli government is doing is very much violating or disregarding basic values of civilization. So it doesn't hold up.
Israel has clearly breached international law with its ongoing military campaign against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is widely regarded as a genocide by human rights groups, genocide scholars, and an independent United Nations inquiry. Both the UN and the International Court of Justice say that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is unlawful as well. It's occupied the territory since 1967, and for years, increasingly radical Israelis have been building and expanding settlements there and displacing Palestinians.
This is significant when it comes to the EU's trade ties with Israel. Article two of the association agreement between the EU and Israel commits both sides to respecting human rights and democracy. Obviously, neither of which are happening here. So, the EU has grounds for terminating or at least suspending the agreement, and that would hit Israel hard.
The association agreement between the EU and Israel was signed in 1995 amid the optimism sparked by the Oslo Accords. At the time, everyone wanted to believe in lasting peace in the Middle East. The agreement created a legal framework for trade between the two partners and came into force five years later in June 2000. The free trade area covers manufactured goods, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products. The agreement also opens access to public contracts and allows both sides to pool funding for scientific research. It has since expanded to include the Erasmus student exchange program.
Thanks to this free trade area, in 2025, the EU and Israel traded goods worth over 43 billion euros. But trade with Israel varies widely among the EU's 27 member states. The EU sells far more to Israel than it buys from it, 11 billion more. And Germany is the biggest exporter, followed by the Netherlands and then Italy. Ireland, however, imports the most from Israel.
So the EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of its trade in 2025. That gives the EU political leverage.
So Europe has the tools, but there has been a political unwillingness to use them, again because a group of countries have blocked any efforts to use these tools. And so, as a result, Europe is basically relegated to making statements. And we see that for years Europe has been making statements of concern about, for example, the Israeli settlement expansion, and every time these statements have been ignored.
The EU hasn't agreed on joint action, so some countries are going it alone. Although they can't drop the association agreement entirely, what they can do is stop buying products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, usually food products like dates, oranges, and olive oil. Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain have already put an import ban in place. Other countries such as France, Poland, and Sweden are currently drafting legislation to bring a ban into force. They want to push Brussels to take a tougher stance, even if the EU has used trade to squeeze Israel in the past.
The EU imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers for the first time in 2024, targeting those involved in violence in the West Bank, but Hungary blocked further sanctions until May this year.
Today, we reached a political agreement to sanction Israeli extremist settlers and entities.
Violence is on the rise as Israeli settlers continue a land grab across the West Bank. And now the Israeli government is pushing a controversial construction project called the E1 settlement on a strategic patch of land east of Jerusalem. It would effectively sever the link between the northern half and the southern half of the West Bank, cutting Palestinian territory in two. A viable Palestinian state would become even more elusive. The plans have drawn fierce criticism from several EU member states and other Western countries. But in early September, the UK went a step further.
Speaker, we will introduce an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories. We will take action against specific companies and individuals who provide services such as construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate for settlement expansion. So to those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this. You will face the full force of UK sanctions.
Israel retaliated by closing the UK's consulate in Jerusalem. But what could the UK sanctions actually achieve? Quite a lot, say observers.
It seems that this may be the first thing which could actually have real impact in terms of deterring those companies and banks from being involved in settlement construction. So that is a very interesting path by the Brits which the Europeans have not been able to emulate so far.
So Europe has struggled to get majority support for sanctions. But how has Israel reacted to this diplomatic game of chess? We asked a former ARTE colleague who is now a correspondent in Jerusalem for a Spanish TV channel to tell us what it's like on the ground.
People. People across Europe are trying to put pressure on their leaders to suspend trade with Israel through a type of petition called a European Citizens' Initiative. It was officially launched in January this year and since then has gathered more than 1.3 million signatures, mostly from people in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Poland. Now it's passed the threshold of 1 million signatures. They'll be verified and the European Commission is obligated to respond. But whatever happens, NGOs say it marks a turning point.
The taboo on discussing sanctions, on applying sanctions in relation to Israel has been broken, and it will be very, I think, difficult to get back to business as usual and restore this taboo, even though some European actors would like to see that. Europe has paid a very large reputational price because of its apparent support and complicity for the Israeli war in Gaza.
There's so much more we can say about trade between Israel and the EU that we haven't been able to mention. For instance, German arms deliveries to Israel or Israel supplying Europe with technology. So take a look at arte.tv/en or on our YouTube channel where you can find reports and documentaries about what's happening in Gaza and the West Bank, the 7th of October massacre, and of course the upcoming elections. We'll be back with you next week. Goodbye.
Choose and
Article published · Updated