When the European Union comments on the occupied West Bank, it habitually “recalls” that Israel’s settlements violate international law. Yet these ritual recollections have yielded scant results: so far, just four individual settlers and two organizations labelled “extremist” have faced EU sanctions.
By singling out a few as “extremists,” the EU implicitly treats the rest as reasonable — even welcome in the corridors of power.
From Illegal Settlements to High-Level Access
Elie Pieprz, an American-born settler, is one such figure. He recently secured a meeting with the office of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas — an achievement he himself described as “not easy to get.”
Hailing from Maryland, Pieprz gained prominence as the international spokesperson for the Yesha Council, an umbrella group for Israel’s settlements, between 2013 and 2019. He now works for the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), which claims to represent 40,000 “reserve officers and operatives.” Months before meeting Kallas’s staff, Pieprz was already praising her, naming her among Israel’s allies alongside Donald Trump, Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, and Argentina’s Javier Milei.
The “Good Settler” Myth
The EU’s tacit distinction between “good” and “bad” settlers is a dangerous distortion.
On paper, Brussels concedes — or “recalls,” in its preferred diplomatic euphemism — that all Israeli settlements in occupied territory are illegal. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, building or expanding them is a war crime.
In reality, all settlers are extremists. They are seizing Palestinian land, water, and other resources, and sustaining an apartheid system. They are not passive residents but active pillars of a military occupation which, as the International Court of Justice has ruled, is itself unlawful.
A Record of Incitement
Pieprz himself promotes exterminationist policies. While careful with his wording, his social media posts reveal support for mass expulsions from Gaza and for maintaining a blockade on humanitarian aid during a famine widely regarded as engineered by Israel. He has also spread false claims that Gaza’s largest hospital hosted a Hamas “command center,” providing political cover for attacks on medical facilities.
His IDSF colleagues have shown similar contempt for Palestinian lives. Founder Amir Avivi publicly applauded Israel’s 2024 invasion of Rafah — a move described as a “red line” by much of the international community before it happened. Avivi’s praise suggests no remorse for the suffering he has caused, including during his command of a brigade in the West Bank in the destructive 2002 offensive codenamed Operation Defensive Shield.
Lobbying the EU Amid Genocide
The IDSF is a new entrant in the network of pro-Israel lobby groups working to influence EU policy. It registered as an active lobbyist in Brussels only in November 2024, and quickly hired B&K Agency, a public relations firm, to help it navigate the EU system.
When B&K publicly declared itself “proud” to work with the IDSF, David Cronin contacted the firm to ask why it was promoting a group defending Israel as the state carries out what many legal experts and international bodies have described as genocide. The company did not reply.
The result is a telling contradiction: while the EU routinely reaffirms that all settlements are illegal, it still offers access and legitimacy to settler leaders whose policies and rhetoric advance the dispossession, starvation, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Moshe Tetro is a colonel who coordinated many of Israel’s genocidal acts during the ongoing war against Gaza. He is the subject of a criminal complaint alleging that he forced starvation on a civilian population and directed attacks on hospitals.
Despite that complaint – drawn up by the Hind Rajab Foundation, which seeks accountability for crimes against Palestinians – Tetro is able to live freely in Belgium, where he is Israel’s military attaché. Judging by photographic evidence from last week, he enjoys easy access to the EU’s buildings.
In its formulaic statements, the EU has recalled repeatedly that it opposes the horrors for which Tetro and other Israeli soldiers should be brought to justice.
Recollection is pointless if you deliberately forget to do anything concrete.
Source: The Electronic Intifada
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