Barks and Bites

European foreign ministers met in Ireland on Wednesday for an informal meeting. Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel pointed to a new trend heading in the wrong direction, as he believes the situation regarding the war in Ukraine has now moved even further away from de-escalation and a peace agreement.

The Middle East was also on the agenda, specifically the situation in Palestine. Despite the extreme statements by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who notably called for the killing of Palestinian civilians, reaching an agreement at the European level on the adoption of sanctions remains very difficult.

"A dog that barks"

"I am frustrated at every meeting because we are like a dog that barks and barks, but does not know how to bite," Bettel told press. "I unfortunately must tell you we do not even have a majority to be able to ask the Commission to analyse sanctions."

The foreign minister said he found it alarming that the EU had not reacted to the extreme declarations made by the Israeli minister. Luxembourg is looking into the possibility of imposing sanctions at a national level, with a working group examining the legal basis for considering trade measures against imports from illegal settlements in the West Bank.