Five European countries call on imports ban from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine

The Netherlands is drafting legislation to ban imports from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine, despite pausing broader sanctions on Israel after last month’s Gaza ceasefire, Foreign Minister David van Weel said during a visit to the region.

Van Weel said the partial ban responds to settlement expansion and growing violence against Palestinians, which threaten the two-state solution. “Now is not the time to increase sanctions on Israel — we want to see the peace plan implemented and encourage Israel to play a positive role,” he told The Guardian. “At the same time, we’re not blind to movements in the West Bank that could push the two-state solution further away.”

Five EU countries, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, have announced or are preparing restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements, where more than 200 Palestinians, including 40 children, have been killed this year.

Spain and Slovenia have already banned exports from settlements, while Ireland and Belgium are advancing legislation. Belgium and Spain have also limited consular services to settlement residents.

Van Weel said progress on the Dutch law has been slow because trade policy largely falls under EU competence. “It’s not easy to make a carve-out,” he said. “We can’t stop all imports immediately because there’s no legal basis yet. We’re working on new policy, which will then go through parliament.”

via The Guardian