Recollection is a big activity in Brussels.

When the European Union opts to say something about the occupied West Bank, it habitually “recalls” that Israel’s settlements violate international law.

The recollection rituals have so far yielded scant results. Just four individual settlers and two organizations branded “extremist” have been subjected to EU sanctions.

By categorizing a small number of settlers as “extremist,” the EU is implying that the remainder are reasonable or moderate. Some are even welcome in the corridors of power.

Elie Pieprz is one such settler. He recently secured a meeting with the office of Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief – “something that is not easy to get,” as he has noted.

Hailing from Maryland, Pieprz became well known in political circles when he was the international spokesperson for the Yesha Council – an umbrella group for Israel’s settlements – between 2013 and 2019. Today, he works for the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), which claims to be part of a movement bringing together 40,000 “reserve officers and operatives.”

Months before he was received by her office, Pieprz was already emphasizing his admiration for Kallas.

In November last year, he placed her on a list of Israel’s allies. All of the others named on that list – Donald Trump in the US, Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Javier Milei in Argentina – belong to the far right, whereas Kallas is a liberal. ….more