EU sanctions on violent settlers were adopted after being blocked for two years.

Omissions

• The EU first adopted sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in April 2024 under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, meaning the policy was not entirely blocked for two years. The May 2026 sanctions represent an expansion, not the first-ever sanctions.
• Al Jazeera's contemporaneous reporting (11 May 2026) describes the deadlock as lasting 'months,' not 'two years,' contradicting the claimed duration.
• The claim was made on 19 May 2026, after the FAC political agreement (11 May) but before formal Council adoption (28 May 2026). The speaker could reference the political agreement but not the final legal act.
• Only one independent secondary source (Al Jazeera) was found that directly addresses the duration of the deadlock. No primary source confirming the exact duration of blockage was located within search limits.

Sources

• PrimaryCouncil of the EU (Consilium)The Council adopted additional sanctions targeting three extremist Israeli settlers and four entities on 28 May 2026. The decision delivers on the political agreement reached at the Foreign Affairs Council on 11 May 2026.
• PrimaryCouncil of the EU (Consilium) — Timeline2026, 28 May: EU adopts further sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers. The Council adopted additional sanctions targeting three extremist Israeli settlers and four entities.
• SecondaryAl JazeeraThe European Union agreed to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers after months of deadlock. The impasse was broken after Hungary elected a new leader. Consensus was reached on the sanctions at the Foreign Affairs Council on 11 May 2026.
• SecondaryBBC NewsThe twenty-seven foreign ministers of the European Union approved new sanctions on Monday on Israeli settlers over rising violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.