On Friday, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

In a speech at Valladolid University in Spain, Borrell considered that “Israel, by evading the establishment of a Palestinian state and trying to weaken it, established and financed the Hamas movement.”

He said, "Despite Israel's insistence on rejection, we believe that the two-state solution will achieve peace, under pressure from the international community," calling on the Arab world, Europe, the United States, and the United Nations to encourage the two-state solution.

He repeated his accusation of Israel of financing Hamas, and said, "Yes, Hamas has received funding for years from the Israeli government with the aim of weakening the Palestinian government led by the Fatah movement," as he claimed.

These allegations are not the first of their kind, but Hamas supporters categorically reject them, and Israeli officials also deny them.

Borrell pointed out that the current government in Israel “represents a clear obstacle to the two-state solution,” adding that “governments are temporary.”

A few days ago, Netanyahu confirmed his government's refusal to recognize the Palestinian state and the two-state solution.

In addition, on Friday, the European Union imposed an asset freeze and a travel ban on six individuals it said were linked to Hamas, as part of a new sanctions system targeting the movement.

The European Union already includes Hamas on its terrorist lists, but it moved to create a legal framework targeting the movement after its attack on October 7.

The European Council said that the list may be expanded to target "all those who provide support, materially or financially" to Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

The Council stated that the individuals subject to sanctions are the financier residing in Sudan, Abdel Basset Hamza Al-Hassan Muhammad Khair, Nabil Shoman and his son Khaled Shoman, Reda Ali Khamis, the major financier of Hamas, Musa Dudin, a senior leader in the movement, and the financier residing in Algeria, Ayman Ahmed Al-Dweik.

The Council said that among the reasons driving the sanctions were arms trafficking, support for movements that undermine Israel’s stability or security, and involvement in serious violations of humanitarian law or human rights.

The statement added, "This new system of sanctions will continue to be implemented until January 19, 2025. They will be placed under continuous review and renewed or amended when necessary."

A senior European Union official said on Friday that the first group of individuals subject to sanctions are linked to providing funding to Hamas.

The US Treasury says that Hamas has established a secret network of companies that manage investments worth $500 million in companies extending from Turkey to Saudi Arabia. The European Union and the United States classify the movement as a terrorist organization.

"Islamic Jihad" condemns European sanctions

For its part, the Islamic Jihad movement condemned, on Friday, the European Council’s decision to impose sanctions on members of the movement and Hamas.

Islamic Jihad said in a statement, “This decision is not surprising, has no value, and constitutes clear bias toward the occupying entity.”

It pointed out that "this European decision gives the Israeli occupation political cover for the holocaust it continues against our people, in addition to the cover and military and intelligence support it provides for the aggression against the Gaza Strip, ignoring the demands of its people to stop it immediately."