A coalition of over 160 NGOs, trade unions, and civil society organizations has urged the European Commission to impose a ban on all trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a letter addressed to the European Commission President on Tuesday, the signatories called for immediate action to prohibit trade with illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel since 1967. The initiative, launched by Human Rights Watch, emphasizes the need for the EU to ‘comply with international law’ and ‘end Europe’s support for illegal settlement activity and related abuses.’
While products from these settlements are excluded from the preferential tariffs provided under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, they are still permitted access to the European market, a situation that the organizations criticize as contradictory to EU obligations.
The 27 EU Member States have repeatedly condemned Israeli settlements, labeling them as ‘illegal’ and ‘obstacles to peace.’ Additionally, two rounds of European sanctions have been imposed on Israeli settlers in the past.
The organizations further cited the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has explicitly stated that states “must prevent and refrain from trade or investment relations which contribute to the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Despite these legal precedents, the letter argues that ‘the EU’s current policies do not respect these obligations.’ The signatories are therefore calling for the adoption of new European legislation to enforce a comprehensive ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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