Vilnius doubts agreement possible on EU sanctions on Israel ministers

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expressed scepticism on Monday that the EU will be able to agree on any sanctions on two far-right members of the Israeli government.

"Incitement to hatred is evil, regardless of which side it comes from," said Nauseda, the BNS agency reported.

However, responding to a proposal for sanctions put forward by EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, he said he had "serious doubts" about the plan, because "it seems to me that he himself does not believe in the success of this initiative."

EU countries are different and have very different approaches to the conflict, Nauseda said, "and sometimes these views are diametrically opposed."

At the end of August, Borrell proposed to the EU states that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir be placed on the EU sanctions list for incitement to hatred and human rights violations.

If approved, this would mean that they would no longer be allowed to enter the EU and that any assets they may have in the EU would have to be frozen.

Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are far-right coalition partners of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and both recently caused outrage with statements against Palestinians.

In addition, both support the settlement policy in the occupied territories in the West Bank, which are illegal, according to the highest UN court.

Decisions on sanctions must be taken unanimously in the European Union. Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary have so far been critical of calls for sanctions on Israel.