Nine EU Countries Urge European Commission To Review Legality Of Trade Linked To Israeli Settlements

BRUSSELS, June 20 (Bernama-WAFA) -- Nine European Union member states have called on the European Commission to examine whether trade involving goods and services produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is consistent with international law.

According to Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) the joint appeal was announced by Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot in a post on X. The countries backing the initiative are Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Prévot stated that the request aligns with the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 19, 2024. The ICJ opinion emphasised that international actors must avoid engagement in trade that contributes to the perpetuation of the unlawful situation created by Israel’s settlement activities in occupied Palestinian land.

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He stressed that upholding international law is a shared responsibility among all nations, and that legal clarity must guide political decisions in a rules-based international system.

In a follow-up post, Prévot clarified that the group of nine countries is asking the European Commission to study how EU policies, particularly in relation to trade involving Israeli settlements, can be aligned more closely with international legal standards.

The ICJ's 2024 advisory opinion concluded that Israel must end its occupation and withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territory as swiftly as possible. It also called for an immediate halt to the expansion of settlements and the removal of all settlers from the occupied territory.

Furthermore, the ICJ asserted that all UN member states are obligated not to recognise the legality of the situation arising from Israel’s continued presence in the occupied territory and not to aid or assist in maintaining that situation.

-- BERNAMA-WAFA