The Czech foreign minister said Tuesday that Prague opposes any attempt to bypass the consensus requirement for EU sanctions on Israel, after the main sanctions effort was blocked. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar thanked the Czech Republic for preventing the EU from becoming a tool for advancing anti-Israel policy.
The Czech foreign minister on Tuesday explicitly opposed any indirect attempt to impose EU sanctions on Israel, stating that Prague objects to changing the voting procedure to a non-consensus method. The statement came after The Zioneer reported at 14:59 that Czechia had blocked the main EU sanctions effort against Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar expressed gratitude to the Czech Republic, saying it prevented the EU from becoming a vehicle for anti-Israel policy.
The Zioneer first reported at 11:03 that the Czech foreign minister, during a meeting with Sa'ar, pledged continued support for Israel amid reported EU sanctions efforts. By 11:03, multiple Israeli news outlets (N12, Israel Hayom) reported that Czechia had blocked the main sanctions push, with Sa'ar thanking Prague. The thread shows the Czech position evolving from a general pledge of support to a specific opposition against procedural workarounds, with the foreign minister's explicit rejection of changing EU voting rules to bypass consensus.
As The Zioneer reported on June 11, the Czech foreign minister had previously vowed to veto any EU sanctions on Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and the desk's background notes describe Czechia as one of Israel's most consistent allies within the EU, frequently using its veto power to block anti-Israel resolutions.
No further details on the indirect sanctions track were provided, and it remains unclear which EU member states were pushing the alternative procedure or what specific sanctions were being considered.
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