Belgium bans import of Israeli settlement products - Sarmad
The Belgian government has announced a ban on importing products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Belgian news agency Belga reported on Saturday that the Federal Cabinet adopted the decision during its last meeting before the summer break, following discussions on imports from the occupied Palestinian territories. The government has not yet announced the mechanism for implementing the decision or its effective date.
Amid escalating settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, diplomats and officials stated that European Union foreign ministers discussed new measures to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in Brussels a few days ago.
Reuters quoted a senior EU diplomat and an EU official as saying the discussion was based on a confidential paper issued by the European Commission, which proposed three different options: an import licensing system, high customs duties, or a ban.
Meanwhile, Politico, citing four informed diplomats, reported that a group of EU countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain, is seeking to pressure the Commission into proposing restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements.
According to the website, Spanish MP Nacho Sánchez Amor, a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, considered that the settlements are illegal and that the best solution is simply to ban the import of any goods produced in the settlements.
Last May, the EU imposed sanctions on four entities and three individuals for what it described as serious and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
In an advisory opinion issued in July 2024, the International Court of Justice stated that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the construction of settlements in the West Bank are illegal, and that states should take steps to prevent commercial or investment relations that help sustain this situation.
Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee previously confirmed in May that her country is seeking to enact legislation to restrict trade in goods from settlements in the West Bank under Israeli occupation by mid-July, amid opposition from the Israeli occupation, US lawmakers, and business groups.
