EU sanctions West Bank settlers; Israel cries foul

The European Union advanced sanctions this week against violent West Bank settlers alongside senior Hamas figures, prompting condemnation from Jerusalem as moral distortion. The Israeli government has rejected the equivalence, arguing that Israeli citizens accused of crimes are not terrorists and that Jewish historical attachment to Judea and Samaria cannot be erased by a sanctions list. However, a Jerusalem Post editorial acknowledged that Israel must confront internal failures, citing IDF data showing 867 "nationalistic" Jewish incidents against West Bank Palestinians in 2025, up from 682 the previous year. Former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar reportedly told Israeli leaders the phenomenon should be called "Jewish terrorism," a designation the editorial said should have shaken the country but was instead treated as another front in political warfare. The piece called on Israeli voters to demand accountability from politicians who excuse or wink at Jewish extremism. Separately, a New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof alleging widespread sexual abuse against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities has ignited fierce controversy, with Jewish groups condemning it as a "modern-day blood libel." The column included claims that Israel trains dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners, an allegation rejected by Israeli officials and questioned by canine behavior experts. A retired police lieutenant and canine aggression expert affiliated with Harvard University's Canine Brain Project told JTA it was "highly unlikely" that anyone could train a dog to commit sexual assault, noting that while dogs might be trained to perform certain physical movements, actual penetration would be "a lot more problematic." The New York Times has defended the column, saying it reflects rigorous reporting. Open-source intelligence analysts traced the dog-rape allegation's spread through social media and pro-Palestinian networks over nearly two years before its recent amplification.