EU Discussing Sanctioning Israel: Irish FM

During a meeting of the European Political Community, EU foreign ministers for the first time discussed the prospect of sanctions against Israel if it continued to disregard the court’s order, said the Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin.

"Certainly, if compliance isn't forthcoming, then we have to consider all options," he said, adding that Ireland would support such an approach.

Martin said some foreign ministers had also raised the prospect of sanctions against Israeli officials who were aiding and abetting violent Zionist settlers in the West Bank.

He added, however, that "there is some distance between people articulating the need for a sanctions-based approach if Israel does not comply with International Court of Justice rulings, (and) obviously there is not an agreement at the EU Council level given the different perspectives there.”